Noodles
by HangmanJudge
Summary: After Naruto's Death he is reborn in a world of conflict. Stripped of most of his positive emotions he is forced to endure in a world that shuns him. As the servant of a noble member of the Hyuga clan he will help change the world.
1. Chapter 1

What happens to a man when he dies? In the Land of Fire it was not a question that was often asked by the shinobi. Of course it was a common belief that there was an afterlife, but what exactly that meant was seldom questioned. To most of the ninja in the 5 Great Villages it was not important enough to consider. For those who lost someone close to them, death was nothing more than that, loss. For those that were dead, with very few exceptions, it was the conclusion of their lives in this world. Certainly in one man's opinion what would come after death were far less important than what would occur in the world because of it.

Despite his lack of interest, Naruto Uzumaki was about to experience the afterlife first hand.

Naruto had died, and all that was left was his consciousness. He felt like he had awoken from a nightmare. The harder he tried to remember the nightmare and the events of his death the quicker it seemed to slip away.

Convinced that it had all just been a dream, he tried to open his eyes. However he could still see nothing in the pitch black, convincing him it must the night of a new moon. There was nothing to worry about. He attempted to stretch out, reaching for the comfort of his wife, longing for her embrace. However he could feel nothing no matter where he searched. In fact he could not feel at all. He willed his hands to his face, but still nothing.

Panic struck, had he been attacked in the middle of the night? Was he even home? He could not remember what he had been doing or where he was before he "awoke".

"I must be caught in a Genjutsu" he thought. Even though he could not feel his hands he focused on bringing them together, attempting to gather his chakra so he could dispel the jutsu imprisoning him. Yet once again he found he was missing another part of himself. He could not feel his chakra. He simply existed in a void.

An odd sensation struck him, it was like he was remembering events of his life at random. Unfortunately those memories went the way of his last moments on earth. Every moment when he focused on it became hazy, hard to remember and then they were gone. At first he did not realize what was happening, each memory up till then had been mundane. Memories of eating a meal at Ichiraku's after a long day of paperwork in the Hokage tower, taking a shower in the early morning before going to train with Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke, before looking for the same cat that they had chased the entire week.

The gravity of what was happening only truly set in when he remembered his time as Hokage. After it was gone he could still remember being Hokage, working long hours, but each memory he focused on slowly faded. He knew he was the Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, however his memories of his time in office were fading.

Fear hit him as realized the terrible purpose that was put to his mind as it slowly erased each of his memories. So he did the only thing he knew, he resisted. He focused trying not to think of anything, hoping to hold onto his memories until he could discover a way out of this situation. Unfortunately in an attempt to focus, he unwittingly thought of Jiraiya, remembering his 3 years of training each moment coming into focus as though they had a life of their own and then fading away until he couldn't picture his face.

"NO!" His thoughts cried out, "don't take him away, not—" his words caught in his throat. Who, don't take away who? It was like a picture had been removed from a wall where it hung for many years, leaving only an odd clean spot in its place but no clue to what the original looked like. Who had been taken away and how? Someone important had gone missing. He thought hard trying to remember, until he found it in another memory. This memory was of Tsunade, speaking of Jiraiya.

"Jirai-…? Oh no…" suddenly Tsunade was following Jiraiya into the obscurity of the void that was slowly, consuming his mind. Days spent training, techniques perfected, routines and habits, they were all disappearing.

Desperately he focused on the void before his "eyes", using the focus he had developed as a ninja. So he focused, with an intensity he had given to few things in his life.

There he had remained thinking of nothing but the void that now surrounded him, and he waited with no idea on how to proceed. For now all he could do was wait and focus.

How long had he waited, and how long would he have to wait before a solution presented itself, or his concentration slipped and he lost even more memories. Everyone has a breaking point, some are more resilient than others but given enough time everyone eventually falter and breaks. Naruto was practically the definition of resiliency, having grown up alone in his formative years. If you were to ask him where his stalwart will came from it is doubtful, even if he had full access to his memories that he could recall a single defining moment. However his will, when he applied himself, was as unwavering and strong as a mountain. When he took action it was like being caught up in a fierce hurricane. Naruto was like a force of nature to anyone he came into contact with, and anyone who knew him would attest to his nature. However nothing can stand against the unlimited force that is time.

So it was that in the immutable black that he now resided, Naruto's will would break. How long had it been, that he furiously concentrated to save his memories of all his precious people? How much longer could he continue? He wondered in no specific way straining to keep from remembering. None of it mattered, the ceaseless void gave nothing but promised to take everything from its captive. It would break his will, his mind, and his spirit to take everything from him.

"Why is this happening, who could be doing this?" Naruto eventually questioned. He hated this helpless feeling and, for what may have been the hundredth time, he tried to think of a solution. He felt and searched for something, anything that had changed or that he could change. There was truly nothing here. Naruto was once again gripped by desperation, and his mind was drawn to a comforting memory. He thought of the moment he discovered He was the container for the Kyuubi, and how Iruka had cared for him and protected him. He thought of opening his eyes and seeing Iruka, who announced that he was now a ninja. That was when he had received his head band. That headband had eventually been taken by Sasuke after their first battle at the valley of the end. He had lost it then then. "Wait…what did I lose, where did I lose it?"

"No, Not again!" more was lost before he even realized. His mental anguish increased. His mind raced, his concentration once again broken, and looked for some comfort in his memories.

He remembered the birth of his youngest child, and it was gone. What was her name he had so few memories of her compared to many of his other precious people, and they were all flashing before his eyes. A single moment of joy followed by agony as they were stricken from his memory, leaving behind only a vague feeling of loss he was becoming increasingly familiar with. Every increase in familiarity deepened the feelings of loss.

There was almost nothing he could do, so he fought to control his thoughts and emotions. His thoughts once again turned to the void and breaking free of his prison, but also to similar situations he had experienced. Seemingly hopeless situations that through effort and will he had overcome. His thoughts eventually turned to his team mate and rival Sasuke. His best friend who had caused him pain, but also brought him joy. The memories came in a torrent, and then evaporated into the void as it sunk deeper into his being. He thought of every conflict they had ever had and of their team mate Sakura, who had tried to stop them from fighting in those early days. Of resolving all their conflicts and of the friendship they had created. He thought of the final conflict at The Valley of the End, but he could no longer remember why they had fought. It was starting again and it seemed to him his memories had a life of their own.

He did the first thing he could think of, and forced his thoughts to dwell on his enemies. How ironic now that Kaguya had become would be protecting him and his allies. Even so there was only so much life that these memories could offer. Conflict occupied his mind, every enemy whose name he never knew or who mattered far less than the memories he shoved to the back of his mind. With a startling abruptness his seemingly insignificant memories came to an end. However this end was marked by the memory of his encounter with Haku and Zabuza. Then they were gone completely and utterly gone. Another defining moment in his life wiped away. Despair gripped his heart, was there no escape from this eternal hell. He thought of how he had lived part of his childhood with no one to love and no one to care for him. And then part of his childhood was gone, but the feelings of loneliness remained. This feeling sent his mind reeling. He could feel the loneliness he associated with the early years of his life but with none of the memories.

Whatever God ruled this world was a cruel one, Naruto concluded as the depression sank into him. His thoughts turned to his father who had sacrificed his life to seal away the rampaging Kyuubi.

Death, was that what this was? Had his first thoughts here been correct, was he dead? How had he died? Did his father go through the same thing when he had died? There was no way, because his father the fourth Hokage had been brought back from the dead with a full memory of his life before he had died, and for that matter the events leading to his death. "Did he simply hold out till he was summoned? Wait, what was my father's name?" realization hit him like a brick, he had lost more. He realized there was no escape, he was dead. He was sure if he had a body he would cry. The fact that he could feel nothing but his emotions, and do nothing but think and remember was slowly breaking down his resilience.

Still he continued to struggle while he still had the will to. He tried once again to focus on the void around him. He now only had one motivation, which was simply to hold on. He no longer had hope for an escape, and his mind was flooding with anguish. The feelings of longing were pressing upon him once again beckoning him into the comfort of his memories, "I will not fall to this temptation" he thought to himself. However like the ocean beating against the face of a cliff time would once again prevail.

It started with the constant pressure of his desire for comfort, leading his mind to the inevitable question "is there an end to this?" The oppressive nothingness of his world resounded with a wordless and empty "no." Desperately he tried to steer his thoughts away from this conclusion, nothing good would come from acknowledging this truth, and for a time fear sustained him in a way he could never have imagined in life.

His thoughts caved to the truth "Is this my fate? Will I slowly be consumed in this nothingness? What about Karma, didn't I do enough in my life for some kind of mercy?" his thoughts turned effortlessly to his deeds and one by one every one of them began to fade. His mind broke in that instant, time was as limitless here for him as it had been in life. It was his greatest enemy and nothing he could do would be good enough to defeat it.

Like a damn breaking his emotions flooded him, and he begged. He pleaded to any and every God he had ever even heard of. "Please, just let me keep what I have left. Please!" His mind shouted out for serenity, for peace, or mercy. "Torture me for eternity, send me to whatever infernal damnation you have, just please don't take away my precious people. Please let me keep my friends!" as he tried fruitlessly to bargain with whatever being tormented him, memories came unbidden and evaporated. Before he knew it his team was gone.

"I can't take this anymore" he yelled in frustration. The choice to endure however was not his to make he would not receive any reprieve.

If he could have he would have killed himself to stop the slow trickle of memories that were leaving him, but he was already dead. He could no longer stop himself from remembering by focusing. His mind would not obey him. He was broken and no amount of effort in this Black Hell would save him. Time would tear down every wall, would outlast every effort, if he resisted. This realization ripped his mind to shreds.

The only thing he could do was direct the current of his thoughts. He wasn't ready to give up those memories which he had locked in the back of his mind, but he knew eventually he would have to. He desperately pushed every unpleasant memory to the forefront of his mind. Every lonely day he had left as a child and even those as an adult, however rare they may be. Meals alone, nights sleeping in strange places, books, stories and legends all slipped away. He was shocked at how little he had left to offer up. Seconds, days, years, none of it mattered here because every moment was immeasurable, unbearably infinite yet maddeningly short. Yet each moment he could put between now and the end was priceless.

His arsenal of benign memories was exhausted. His thoughts turned to tenuous allies and loose acquaintances. Meetings with foreign leaders the old and new Kages of the great the Great Shinobi Villages. The Great Villages themselves danced in and out of his mind gone forever. Every road and scene not attached to a precious person were offered to the darkness of oblivion. But no relief came only fear. The fear amplified his loneliness, and yet he had no choice. He was being forced to give up everything it seemed except this searing loneliness that embedded itself into his soul.

"Gaara, would fare better than me" He realized his thoughts would be drawn to his friend and fellow Kage, but he did not have the strength or will to fight it anymore. His thoughts spiraled out of control and he made no attempt to stop them. Gaara was disappearing, till all that was left was their fight during the attack on Konoha. Then Gamabunta, and all the toads. Pain, Akatsuki, Asuma, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru. They were all disappearing. The Rookie 9, Gai and his students, and all his friends flashed before his eyes. It continued but Naruto had given into the suffering, everything was out of control and he couldn't stop it. One by one they all vanished, till there were only a few barriers between the Void and his most treasured memory.

First was the Kyuubi, after a life time together he had become a close friend and though much of it was gone he still had a few memories left that he tried fondly to remember. He still wasn't ready to let go and he felt more pain than he thought he was capable of feeling at this point. This Black Hell was agony incarnate.

He had unwittingly let so many memories go, if only he had understood sooner, but it was too late.

Nagato, the brother he had never known. His final message of peace echoed through his head and evaporated, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. If this was all that awaited anyone then what was even the point? Naruto realized that a new emotion had attached itself to his soul, Bitterness. This chocking bitter solidarity pressed on him, like the weight of a fallen tree, underneath which he lay alone and dying.

Hyuuga Neji was the next to fade away, he had become a close friend and even died for Naruto. But now his sacrifice was disappearing to. "Was this Neji's reward for his noble sacrifice?" Naruto asked the empty world.

Almost everyone was gone now, only one memory remained, Old man Sarutobi. The Third Hokage had cared for Naruto when he was still alone, had loved him like a grandson. Every birthday that he had spent with him in those early days when everyone else ignored him, vanished one by one. They left only an empty desperate feeling. All his advice, the kind smiles, even the times he scolded him, like a puff of smoke where gone. Those moments might as well have never existed at all.

Nothing now stood between his last few memories, the ones he had so desperately guarded form the hungry grip of his hell.

He decided finally that if they were going to disappear he would do his best to treasure them while he still could.

Like a smile child he tenderly took out his last few memories like fragile toys.

First was his mother, he only had two memories of her but they were more precious to him than most of his memories combined so far. Kushina who he had never physically met had loved him and was proud of him. Then the love was gone.

His soul was like an empty house, you could tell used to be full of furniture and pictures of a happy family. He mourned the loss of an earlier memory. There was no hope of recovering or recalling just who the little dark haired girl in a picture in his memory was but his heart broke. He couldn't recall who she was or her relation to him but that did nothing to stop the flow of sadness that invaded his soul.

Next was his son, Boruto, his first child. The day he was born had been one of the happiest of his entire life. For a man known for his enduring and infectious smile, all people witness to his expression that day could say they had never seen a happier more serene Naruto. His pride, his joy, even his frustration all were swallowed by the void that was becoming his soul.

The only thing left was his most precious and cherished person. His Wife and the mother of his two children, though he could no longer picture their faces or remember their names, He somehow knew they had existed, and then they were gone.

By some grace earlier memories of Hinata invaded his mind. That shy weird girl who had always supported him, who had grown to a beautiful woman. He had not noticed her until she had nearly died trying to protect him, and confessed her love for him. They had fallen in love and been married these were the happiest years of his life.

The last memory he had was lying in bed next to her and seeing the look of pure and unconditional love. Somehow these last memories seemed to create a crack in all the negative emotions that attached themselves to his soul. Love had hidden itself away in his soul. Though he was unaware of it, it had nested there waiting to be borne again. The Black Hell was apparently not done with him yet, it took his name his, and his identity. Then there was nothing only a swirling maelstrom of emotions. Depression, Loneliness, and Bitterness possessed him and folded his soul in on itself.

Suddenly out of the darkness came the true light of a new world, a world harsher than Naruto's previous life, but a paradise compared to world he was being borne from.

Naruto was reborn into a new life in a new reality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Naruto would be born into a new life. The world was startlingly similar to his own. The difference was in severity and eventually the individual choices of certain influential people. Shinobi had always been warriors, and in this world they were even less flexible than in the previous one. For two people this fact caused their conflict to escalate past the point of no return. From the moment of their deaths peace would forever remain an unobtainable dream. In short the Senju and all their allies would forever be in conflict with the Uchiha and their allies, till one was forced to submit.

Where in his own world a great valley once stood, in this world there was only a desolate waste land where wind and rain raged, and great streaks of lightning struck from the heavens.

Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju's battle tore the very life from the ground with its intensity and in the end that had both died. No ninja at this point in time had ever come close to achieving the immense levels of power and skill that those two had.

After this the two clans gathered their allies and bolstered their defenses, thus creating the first 2 of the 6 Great Ninja nations. The Uchiha in the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools Uzushiogakure, located on an island. The island was originally the home of the Uzumaki clan who after the death of Madara and Hashirama allied themselves with the Uchiha. The Senju took to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a base created by their deceased leader in the heart of a great forest. With them were their close allies the Hyuuga, staunch allies throughout the years they were quick to support their cause when the call to arms was made. Others also answered the call of these two great clans others banded together to form their own villages for protection or a shared desire for power.

Thus the Great 6 Villages were created not in hope for peace but in response to a perpetual war whose rage ebbed and flowed like the ocean. Sometimes the waves crashed angrily against the shore and others it receded to a low tide washing gently up the sand.

The villages made a mad grab for power, first recruiting renowned clans or individuals and techniques. Then they created the first of their elite forces to protect their villages. Finally waring for control of the only superpower left in the world, the Biju.

Uzushio having close ties to the Uzumaki combined the power of seals and Sharingan to capture the Kyuubi. The great Fox was sealed into a member of the Uzumaki clan with a particular type of chakra that made them compatible. Then they captured the Sanbi using its natural ability to create coral and its affinity for water to bolster the defenses of the island.

Konoha captured the Yonbi, sealing it into the one of the members of the newly renowned Sarutobi clan, which was quickly proving its worth as one of the great families of Konoha. The Sarutobi starting most notably with Sarutobi Sasuke and his son the aptly dubbed "Professor" and "God of Shinobi" Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Suna claimed the both the Ichibi and the Rokubi. The Ichibi being held by the family of the one who ruled the village and the Rokubi being sealed into the first child of the village's strongest warrior. This way the two positions carried great honor, gaining the respect of the villagers, and sometimes their fear.

Kumo claimed the Hachibi, and claimed their strength was great enough that they needed no other advantage. Here as well the tailed beast was closely tied to the family of the ruling Kage.

Iwa gained the Nibi, and upheld a boast similar to that of Kumo. Iwa and Kumo where often allies against the other 4 Nations.

Last was Kiri taking the last 2 beasts, the Gobi and the Nanabi. The two beasts increased Kiri's stealth based way of fighting. The leader of their two special forces.

This was how the powers on and around the continent were divided. The Ninja nations ruled the land instead of a Daimyo, and the leaders of the smaller villages and cities pledged loyalty to whatever nation currently ruled the territory they resided in. In some areas the rulers were constantly changing causing the occupants of the territory to resent any outside influence.

However not every ninja was a part of a Great Nation or one of its subservient territories. Tribes of nomadic warriors traveled across the land, most avoided involvement in the never ending war of the nations. Some however, like the Kaguya clan acted as mercenaries loaning their power to the highest bidder. Ninja who grew disillusioned with their homes often joined the nomadic tribes looking for sanctuary from the horrors of war. Eventually some would join a mercenary group, not knowing how to cope with or where to fit into a "civilian life".

A mercenary group offered the ninja who abandoned their village peacefully protection, however if you committed an act of treason the village would order its shinobi to execute you on site. The only way you could avoid this was by proving your worth to the ruthless Kaguya.

On their own they did not pose a significant threat to any of the 6 Nations, however the benefit of having their clan on your side outweighed the loss of a single rouge ninja. There was a single added benefit to letting the Kaguya operate on their own. Not just any rouge was admitted into their band. To join took a love of war coupled with great skill. If you could not prove yourself worthy the Band would capture you and sell you back to your village. The villages therefore made sure to keep the warmongers current on their missing ninja.

Time had moved on with the world caught in constant battle. The title of Hokage which should have passed to Hashirama's son, was instead passed to his younger brother Tobirama. His son, it was generally believed held the blood of an Uzumaki in his veins and so would never be accepted as a leader. Tobirama passed on the title to his pupil Hiruzen whom he knew would strengthen the Nation with his knowledge and leadership, and he had. His strategy and knowledge took the nation to the height of its power and influence. He expanded the borders, and increased resources and wealth by winning decisive battles and seizing key pieces of territory. He created a War council supported by some of the best mind of Konoha to advise him on all his decisions. The other nations once they discovered this, imitated his methods. Finally he coined the term "Will of Flame" to describe the fierce destructive spirit of the village as a whole. This would foster emotional ties to the village which he could use to create compliance in the lesser houses of the Nation.

The role of those lesser houses was to protect the 3 major clans of Konoha, the Senju, the Hyuuga, and the Sarutobi. Every shinobi in the village served to strengthen the "Will of Flame".

Finally he had trained 3 of the greatest ninja the village had known, their reputation only being eclipsed by Hashirama and Hiruzen himself. Together their power was so great the Mizukage of Kiri, a great warrior in his own right had named them the San-nin. Each of them individually where revered as sages in their specialty.

When the time came to pick a successor he looked first to his students. Jiraiya who was powerful, charismatic, and in his own way influential was his first pick, however the young Toad Sage as he was widely known had no interest in the job. He didn't even want to train a team, but was ordered to do so anyway. Hiruzen knew his knowledge would be invaluable to the next generation. Orochimaru also held no interest as he preoccupied himself with creating his own special unit, sanctioned by the Hokage himself, to research and develop new jutsu. His findings could one day mean true victory for the Nation over all the others. Last was Tsunade, she had a deep connection to the village and its people which would serve the village well however she was too focused on caring for them instead of increasing their reach and power. Not only that but the villagers still whispered about her Uzumaki blood, and the years of war had not softened their opinion of their enemies.

So he was forced to look elsewhere. Many potential candidates existed, such as Shimura Danzo. Hiruzen appreciated his devotion to the village and willingness to do what it took to gain victory. One of Jiraiya's pupils, Minato Namikaze, his genius could potentially propel his family to become the next great clan of Konoha but he was young and untested. The heads of some of the lesser houses came to mind as well. The Nara clan had consistently produced brilliant strategists, the Aburame and Yamanaka who had excelled at Intel gathering and counter intelligence, or the Akamich who had the greatest battle strength of the lesser houses. Perhaps if they had the backing of their ruling houses they may be accepted. However Hiruzen knew they would not have the backing of the War Counsel. So there was only one place left to turn. The only Great clan of the Nation he had not yet considered, the Hyuuga.

Hiruzen decided to meet with the twin Heirs, and the head of the clan to discuss his proposal. He was welcomed openly into the Hyuuga compound.

"Lord Hokage it is a great honor to have you, please make yourself comfortable" the head of the Hyuuga clan, Toru Hyuuga said leading him to a room reserved for receiving honored guests. "Would you like something to drink or eat?" he asked as Hiruzen sat down at the low table.

"Yes some tea please. Do you mind?" Hiruzen asked holding up his pipe. The question itself was only a formality, the Hyuuga would refuse him no reasonable request he knew. In fact if it were for the good of the Nation they may even entertain some unreasonable ones.

"Of course Lord Hokage. Satoshi" he spoke calmly to the screen entrance to the room.

"Yes Hyuuga-sama" Satoshi Namikaze said as he entered the room and kneeled before Toru. He was a relative of Minato he was sure, but exactly how they were related Hiruzen could not recall.

"Bring the Hokage some tea and an ashtray." Toru ordered

"Right away" and with that he stood and bowed to them both before leaving the room.

Hiruzen took in his surroundings during the exchange. On the far wall stood the Nations flag, hanging from the ceiling down to just above the floor. Flanking it were two smaller flags bearing the Hyuuga crest. The walls were an off white color nearly matching the shade of the famous Byakugan. The table he sat at was made of a rich red wood. The floor was tatami mats with dark red pillows for guests to use to sit at the low table. The room though somewhat plain spoke of pride in the Nation its only decorations being two of the symbols of its strength.

"To what do we owe the honor of your visit today?" Toru asked politely once Satoshi had left the room

"I have come to talk about your sons, Toru" Hiruzen paused not for a reply but to gather his thought, and Toru to his credit had noted his intent. "As you may know I am currently looking for a successor to fill the position of Hokage, and after careful consideration I have decided to choose one from your clan"

The screen slid open and in walked Satoshi carrying a tray. From the tray he placed a cup first in front of the Hokage, then in front of Toru. He then set down an ash tray and some matches. Finally he lit one of the matches towards witch the Hokage leaned, his pipe firmly held in the corner of his mouth. He puffed lighting his pipe and nodded to Satoshi, who extinguished the match and kneeling once again asked "is there anything else you need?"

Toru and Hiruzen responded in the negative

"I shall remain close by" and with that he once again exited.

"You have a wonderfully loyal house in them Toru, perhaps one day given the right achievements you could raise them up." Hiruzen said

"It would be a great honor to have a lesser house of the Hyuuga raised, and I see promise in them" Toru replied.

Hiruzen grunted in appreciation of this statement before continuing "However I am not here today to discuss your lesser houses. I am here to discuss my successor." Hiruzen paused to take a drag from his pipe "I am here to see which of your two sons will be the next Hokage." Hiruzen paused here subtly inviting a response as he sipped his tea.

"You do us a great honor Lord Hokage" Toru bowed his head.

"I would like to see your two boys so that I may make my final decision"

"Of course, they are in the garden sparing, when you are ready I will lead you to them."

Hiruzen did not respond but instead took another drag from his pipe, as he considered the Hyuuga in front of him. They were a powerful and loyal clan everyone being an expert in the clans deadly style of taijutsu. With it they could destroy organs, stop bodily functions or even the flow of chakra through a shinobi's body. Their eyes were also useful and members of their clan were trained from a young age to use them so effectively that in some villages it was rumored they could read mind. Of course to be honest the second of the Hyuuga's lesser houses, the Yamanaka, possessed some members who _were_ born with this amazing ability.

He was growing surer of his decision the more he thought of it. He drank more of his tea, now there was one final consideration. He would meet the brothers and make his final decision. With this final thought he took a long drag and exhaled slowly, before rising. "Show me to your two sons so that I may choose.

"Right away Lord Hokage" Toru rose and lead him out towards the garden training ground behind the mansion. As they walked he talked with the Hokage "How is your brother doing, has he chosen a successor to receive the power of the Yonbi

"He is doing well, but has not made a decision concerning the next container"

"How unfortunate, I am sure he will choose a strong candidate, how is your family?"

"They are well, my youngest just turned 8, Asuma will make a strong ninja" Hiruzen replied.

Their conversation passed in this manner over the future generation of Konoha Shinobi as they strolled leisurely to the garden. When they finally exited the mansion, they were treated to the site of the Hyuuga Heirs sparing match.

Sweat dripped from their brow as they engaged in their martial dance. Each strike expertly and precisely executed. Its target blocking or deflecting in equally skilled response, and then delivering one of their own. Toru readied himself to halt their training but was interrupted by Hiruzen, he wanted to see this.

The bout continued at an unwavering pace, neither side giving ground and never missing a chance to strike. Until one combatant back stepped instead of deflecting, the other side at first seeing an opportunity. That is, until chakra poured from his opponents body and he began to spin creating a barrier around himself. His brother jumped just far enough back to take him outside the barriers full range. Sinking into a low tensed stance, waiting for his chance to strike. His brother gracefully recovered from his spin adopting the same stance, and in that instant there fight became a storm of movement and strikes. Each strike being cancelled out by its mirrored counterpart. When the exchange ended and the two parted Hiruzen spoke.

"Impressive display, it pleases me to see that Konoha has such talented young men defending it." Hiruzen stepped further into the garden approaching the twin Hyuuga. Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga. "Talented indeed this will not be an easy decision." Hiruzen thought.

"Lord Hokage, It is an honor" stated one of the young men. Hiruzen frankly could not tell the difference between the two. Both bowed before the second brother asked "To what do we owe this honor my Lord?"

He had heard that Hiashi was inquisitive and subtle, seeking the hidden truth in others actions. Internally he deduced that this young man who seemed to be observing him so careful must be Hiashi. Hizashi was rumored to be patient, often waiting till he had enough information to make an informed decision. There were down sides to both personalities, if his information was to be believed. Hiashi was prone to rash decisions and Hizashi's patience sometimes led to inaction. However Hiruzen needed to make a decision, and both twins despite their short comings had excellent leadership qualities.

"I am here to day to choose the successor to the position of Hokage, and before I leave here one of you will be the next in line to become the Fourth Hokage of Konoha" Hiruzen said.

Both of the young men held stoic expressions and Hiashi spoke for the pair "we are honored that you would consider us my Lord, how will you determine your successor?"

"I will pick the candidate with the qualities I find most suitable for the office" the twins listened silently and he continued "For the position Strength is necessary, but with the right tools and material any master piece is possible, there is also intelligence and I can see from your actions and measured words that in this trait neither of you are lacking. You also require aptitude as a leader, competence, and presence. My own investigations have lead me to the conclusion that you both possess these characteristics."

"There are more less defined qualities that are required." Hizashi stated. Hiruzen nodded he was glad to see that he had come to this conclusion himself.

"Who do you think should take my place as Hokage between the two of you?" Hiruzen asked. Hiashi was the first to answer.

"Either of us would be greatly honored if we were chosen, however I believe my brother Hizashi is most suited for the position. His wisdom will lead to decisions that will benefit the future of the nation."

"Hmmm" Hiruzen nodded in consideration before turning to Hizashi, silently urging him to speak.

"Hiashi is the better man for the position and for the good of the Nation. I have been prone to inaction because I am often unsatisfied with a decision until I have all the information. Hiashi, though he can be rash, is able to make decisive choices and see them through to the end. He is also a keen observer, able to determine others motives through the study of their body language and pointed questioning."

The bond these two shared was clear as each strove in their own way to endorse the other. Their testimonies had worked and Hiruzen saw clearly who was most suited to lead Konoha.

"Thank you both, you have helped me make a difficult decision. Hizashi your argument was compelling and has assured me in my choice." Hiruzen, thanks to his years of experience, saw the twins' masks slip. Though brief he saw just how deeply their loyalty to each other ran. Hiashi's disappointment was clearly contrasted by Hizashi's pleasure that his endorsement was accepted.

"Therefore Hyuuga Hizashi, you shall meet me tomorrow morning to start your training to become the Fourth Hokage."

At this their masks fell away completely. Hiashi smiled wide at his brother whose mouth hung agape in shock.

"Congratulations brother, I look forward to your term as Hokage." Stated Hiashi.

"Hiashi, Hizashi! Control yourselves, show respect to the Lord Hokage." Toru commanded. The celebration was halted and the masks were donned.

"Thank you Lord Hokage, we are honored by your decision" they both stated as one.

"That will be all, thank you Toru for your hospitality. However I have a meeting and work still left to do." Hiruzen said

"Yes Lord Hokage, I shall lead you out" Toru said as the two men turned to leave.

Later that day Hiruzen met with the War Counsel to inform them of his decision to appoint Hyuuga Hizashi as the next Hokage. His appointment to the position would take place in 6 years. He still needed to grow in strength and experience, not to mention the ins and outs of the interworking of the village itself. Perhaps 6 years was too short, only time would tell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Hizashi had been an exceptional student, and the 6 years of training had been just enough time to leave him in a state Hiruzen found acceptable. In fact he had taken to the position quite easily. Of course Hiruzen himself would be around to advise him if he needed it, but he doubted his services would be required beyond the occasional consultation.

Truthfully Hizashi enjoyed his new position, and the added release from the pressures of succession to the Head of the Hyuuga Clan. Although he assumed he would enjoy it just as much as being Hokage. The thing he was thankful to escape was the constant competitions against his brother, Hiashi. They were still close and soon Hiashi had recently taken his place as the Head of the Clan. Hizashi reminisced on the day he had been chosen, how he had tried to set his brother up for the lofty position. He smiled, only after his 4 years of training had he realized what it was that Hiruzen had seen in his speech that made him chose Hizashi over his brother.

It had been 8 years since that day, and though the tides of war had been receded, the intensity of skirmishes were increasing.

Uzushio was increasing their effort to push the borders of their costal territories further inland, invading both Konoha, and Suna's land. Though no formal agreement was made Suna and Konoha made it a point to stay out of each other's battles. Suna, whom was also dealing with Iwa did not want to add Konoha to its list. Konoha who was defending against attacks from both sides, Iwa to the East and Uzushio from the West, saw too much risk in taking on more enemies despite their strength.

Hizashi would need to review plans with his war counsel to bolster defenses. He had no plans to retaliate and take land from his enemies. His more peaceful take on the ever constant war was a sore point for the War Counsel. Danzo in particular was displeased with the fourth Hokage. His views were far more aggressive when it came to the Nations position in the world, and he viewed Hizashi's passivity in the current state of affairs as a weakness that dragged the whole of Konoha down.

The Fourth Hokage was not necessarily passive, if the situation called for it he would attack. However there would need to be significant gains, or an advantage of some kind. Even though Iwa and Uzushio were strong nations, they were not the only nations on the continent. There was also Kumo to consider, they kept a close eye on their neighbors waiting for any opening. Kiri though separated by the sea and Uzushio could not be counted out. They had been known to send out expeditionary forces to try and capture more land putting one of the other nations in the middle of a pincer formation.

If they were a bigger nation the tactic might work. The Fourth Hokage's own War Counsel in a recent session had obtained information that a civil war was brewing and advised that he send an infiltration force to instigate the civil war then invade during the aftermath. Doing this would give them an advantage over Uzushio and eliminate another nation.

Hizashi was unwilling to take this course of action. For him there was not enough reliable info and to many ways it could backfire.

His primary concern these days were with the internal affairs of the nation, and with his own clan. He had been meeting with his brother recently to discuss a plan to raise the Namikaze house. They were a loyal and selfless house currently who would support and raise up the Hyuuga. Hopefully over the years it would be a symbiotic relationship. To top it off they already had a representative in mind.

Hizashi had set up a meeting between himself, Hiashi and the current head of the Namikaze clan, for the next day so they could flesh out the details, for Minato Namikaze's "debut".

Minato however had plans for the night.

He had taken the shift of another shinobi, who promised to return the favor, that night. He proceeded on his route along the border of Uzushio's shore territories, scanning carefully as he moved through the forest. The night had been unusually calm, and to any other shinobi this would be an ill omen. He however was reveling in it, as he jumped through the trees, sometimes breaking through the ceiling of branches to stare at the star filled sky. As he continued his patrol he came across two seals facing each other at the base of a tree, no doubt there were more in the branches above.

So he crouched down to examine the seal and instantly recognized it. This was the work of an Uzumaki, and it had been crafted in such a way that had he not been looking for it he would not have known it was there. His blood rushed as the excitement he had kept pent up filled him. He had waited for this moment for a month.

Deliberately he passed between the two seals, tripping the proximity alert. He searched for clues as he moved following the subtle sign of the shinobi who had passed through to what could only be an Uzushio safe house or Hide out.

Eventually he came to what must have once been a hunting cabin. They were rare these days but a few still existed. Most food could be gathered around the major villages and cities.

Minato carefully scouted the area for traps and other shinobi before entering the house. The inside was bare and dirty with only an old carpet covering a section of the floor. Its purpose was obvious to Minato, concealment. He carefully removed the rug revealing a hatch that no doubt led to the basement and current occupant of the house.

This was it the moment he had carefully planned for and now it was time for action. For a single moment as he opened the hatch doubt crept into his mind. "Could I be walking into a trap?" Minato thought. For the moment he pushed his thoughts to the side he entered the hidden room.

The room was too dark to see and the air smelled stale, as though it had not been in use in some time. The room was empty and square with no rooms or doors leading off from the room he was in. He could see no movement and couldn't make out the shape of any people. He was safe it seemed, but that in and of itself was strange. All the signs pointed to someone having come here, but he had not seen any signs of that person leaving.

Minato pulled out a small flashlight from the equipment pouch on his hip and turned it on. Shinning the light around the room he saw only one thing, a discarded scroll. He walked over and picked it up opening it. There was a seal on it that had not been activated.

"Whomever it belonged to must have dropped it without noticing." Minato thought, "Might as well take a look." With that he placed it on the floor and fully extended it to examine its contents.

It seemed to be a storage scroll, but there was no indication of what was stored inside it. His knowledge of seals was also very limited, though he had had some lessons from an expert he knew. But after studying it for a few minutes it seemed like the way to activate it was to use chakra.

He decided to just see what it held, as he placed a hand on it and channeled his chakra through to the seal on the scroll. The seal activated releasing a cloud of smoke that filled the room. Minato could hear the noise of someone approaching him, then he was knocked flat. The smoke was starting to thin out. And he could make out the shape of a person crouching in the middle of the room.

"Well well little leaf it seems you have fallen into my trap! How unfortunate for you, but at least your last sight will be that of a beautiful woman." The mysterious woman proclaimed. With that she placed both of her palms on the stone floor of the room, activating two seals.

Bright yellow light filled the room, temporarily blinding Minato, then he was pinned to the ground. When his eyes adjusted to the light he was face to face with a woman with long red hair and a fox like mask, and a kunai at his throat.

"Shhh" said the kunoichi as she lifted her mask half way, moving closer to him. Then she smiled, and kissed him.

"That's not funny Kushina." Minato stated flatly. "May I get up now?"

She laughed as she stood up and moved back giving him space to stand. "Lighten up Minato, besides didn't you like your reward?"

"Reward for what" Minato said with a slight grin.

"You figured out how to activate the scroll all on your own, it looks like all my lessons are paying off" Kushina said with a wide smile. The smile dropped slightly as she said "but you know, you shouldn't just activate any seal you come across. You never know if it could be a trap."

"Well if I hadn't activated that scroll just now how would you have gotten out?" Minato replied.

"I had a plan! I can't believe you think that little of me." Kushina replied in a huff.

"Well you haven't always made the best decisions, remember how we met?"

"You said you wouldn't bring that up again!" Kushina shouted, her anger flared. Minato could feel the energy rolling off her. Perhaps he had gone too far, better to stop now before she really lost it.

Minato took this moment to look around the basement room and was surprised at what he saw. All the dust and smoke that had been hanging around the room was gone. In their place were torches in the corners of the room providing light and warmth. There was also a rug with a large blanket and a box.

"Wow this is really nice Kushina." Minato said in admiration. Immediately her mood improved, "Do you really think so? It's really nothing difficult I'm sure you could do it if you tried" she said with a slight blush.

"I do have one question though, what's in the box?"

"Come find out" she said as she moved over next to it and sat on the blanket. Minato took a seat next to her. Kushina grasped the sides of the lid and lifted revealing a couple of green glass bottles, and two lunch boxes. Minato pulled one out and examined its contents.

"Did you make this all yourself?"

"I had a little help from my cousin."

"I am really impressed, you've really out done yourself" Minato said planting a kiss on her cheek. She blushed more at his compliments and kiss.

"Let's eat already, then you can tell me how good I am at cooking."

The two ninja talked as they enjoyed their subterranean picnic together, laughing and smiling as the night moved on. The conversation began to take on a more serious tone, each one complaining about their nation, problems with other ninja they encountered, and finally their views on the war. It was a subject that always came up and eventually led to ways they could steer their nations towards peace.

"No matter what we do nothing will ever change if we don't first change the minds of the people." Minato stated.

"Of course, I know that but those petrified old trees running your village will never accept that. Besides that neither of us will ever be a Kage." Kushina retorted.

"We don't have to be, we can train the next generation and instill in them the ideals of peace. We can start the change that will shape the future."

"What about us" Kushina asked. She continued, "When will we be allowed to be together?"

"I once heard the Hokage say, that the wise man plants a seed knowing he will never rest under the shade of its tree. This is something bigger than us Kushina. This is about making a better place for the future generations. For our children!" Minato blushed in embarrassment at what he had said. "Well not that we will ever have any, that would be irresponsible and how would we even raise them. They would be shunned by both our villages." His speech trailed off when he saw Kushina's face. She looked upset and her eyes were starting to fill with tears.

"That doesn't mean we can't still be together, it will just be a little difficult. I mean weren't you telling me, the last time we were together that your cousin knows and is happy for you. I think I might even be able to get support from my sensei!" Minato was trying his best to calm her down but it didn't seem to be working. Tears were streaming from her eyes, she tried to bury her face in her hands to hide it but Minato had already seen.

So he did the only other thing he could think of, he wrapped his arms around her and tried to reassure her.

"Everything will be ok in the end we will always have each other. We just have to be careful."

"You should have thought about being careful last time we met!" This caught Minato off guard, he didn't want to believe what he was thinking. "I need to tell you something." Kushina said. Minato could feel a knot forming in his stomach, he was afraid of what she would say next.

"What is it, what did I do?" Minato asked. It took a few minutes but eventually she told him what was wrong.

"I'm pregnant."

Minato was not sure how to respond, it was a large pill to swallow. On one hand the idea of having a family together with Kushina, the most beautiful and one of the strongest kunoichi he knew, thrilled him. However there was no way this would be easy. If they were lucky he would be born with red hair like his mother, then she could say the baby's father was a comrade who had recently died. But what if he had Blonde hair and blue eyes? Would they accept him in her village, he highly doubted it. They wouldn't accept the baby in Konoha if they knew it was part Uzumaki, but he refused to leave Kushina behind.

He looked down at her and saw she had been studying his face, gauging his reaction to the news. He was a little embarrassed, the only look she could have seen was concern, without an ounce of joy. So he smiled, trying his best to give her comfort.

"This is great news, we will be a family!"

"Do you really think I would fall for that?" she said punching him in the gut. Her strike was heavier, he was sure, than she had intended it to be. Rubbing his stomach he replied as best he could.

"It will be difficult but we will make it work besides we have at least 8 more months to plan. I am sure with our two minds we can come up with a reasonable solution." In truth he wasn't sure at all what they would do. He didn't think running away was an acceptable solution, and he wasn't sure Kushina would want to leave her family for good like that. He as well still had plans he wanted to finish and hopefully they would lead to, or at least be the first steps towards peace.

"I hope you're right, what should we name him?" She asked, Minato chuckled.

"What makes you think it will be a Boy"

"I just have a feeling" she answered.

"We have plenty of time to come up with something. Whatever it is it has to have meaning."

"I love you Kushina, I will protect you no matter what."

"I love you too Minato, but I think it is me that will protect you. Do you have to leave soon?"

"No I have clones patrolling everything will be ok till morning." He said as they laid down under the blanket wrapped in each other's arms. The little time they had together on nights like this were the most precious moments to Minato. When the sun finally began to rise he left the safe house readjusting his clothes. The last thing he needed today was for someone to suspect something more than a quite patrol had happened.

He knew Kushina would have to leave soon as well so he didn't take his time and left to meet his clones on the way back so he could deliver an accurate report.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Hyuuga Hizashi and Hyuuga Hiashi sat facing the current head of the Namikaze clan, Toshiyuki Namikaze. They had called on him to discuss something important concerning the Namikaze clan. They told him they wanted to raise the status of the clan to make them another of the great clans of Konoha.

He was filled with excitement at this opportunity. He never would have imagined that the clan would be honored like this. They had only one last thing to discuss, the method they would use to accomplish this. To further punctuate this honor he had been invited into the Hyuuga's Garden as a guest. He had even received tea, from the taste he could tell it was of high quality. From their spot they could see Hyuuga training and sparring, nearby. Some with other Hyuuga some with a Yamanaka or Namikaze. It was a reassuring sight.

"This is a lovely garden you have Hyuuga-sama" Toshiyuki complimented.

"Thank you it is my wife's favorite place on the grounds, It was somewhat of a wedding gift to her. Everything here was her doing, she calls it her sunny place." Hiashi replied with a slight smile.

"Ah Lord Hokage, I also heard you had become a father recently. How is your family doing?"

"They are well thank you, although it has been difficult these past few months balancing my duties and raising a son. I am thankful for the support of my brother and his wife. However we do have important matters to discuss. As we explained earlier we wish to raise your clan up to become the next great clan of Konoha. We understand that your nephew Minato has shown great skill and ability. I have even heard he is working to develop a new jutsu." Hizashi spoke.

"Yes we are all very proud of him, he is our first true genius. It is gratifying to know that he is finally being recognized." Toshiyuki replied beaming. The Hyuuga twins nodded in agreement.

"We have high hopes for him as well." Hiashi started. "However his genius alone is not enough to secure your clans future." Toshiyuki looked confused.

Toshiyuki was confused, if Minato's abilities were not enough to raise the clans status then why bring him up? Was there more they had not yet told him? He was beginning to feel a little apprehensive, and from the look of concern on the Hokage's face he had noticed. The expression only served to alarm him.

"I see, well we have other talented ninja as well who could, with the training and sufficient time, become influential in their own spheres." he added

"While that may be useful that will take too much time." Hiashi replied.

Toshiyuki was tense, "I'm not certain what else we could offer"

His clan was relatively small. His father was the Founder of the Namikaze clan and had three sons and a daughter. He had pledged his loyalty to Konoha and promised to serve the Hyuuga clan, securing there place in the powerful nation. Eventually Toshiyuki had become the Patriarch of the clan, though there were no traditions stating the oldest direct descendant was promised the position. His brother and sister were simply uninterested and their youngest brother, at that time, had simply been too young.

That being the case Toshiyuki could not fathom what his clan could offer the mighty Hyuuga clan. Uncertainty led to doubt, as he began to fear that he had been outright lied to about the Hyuuga's intentions. He tried to hide his unease and confusion behind a mask of contemplation.

He was aware of the rumors that Hyuuga could read mind but he knew the truth, they simply read your body language with their exceptional eyes. If they did have ulterior motives he could not let them know he suspected, though he wasn't sure he could pull it off

"We are not trying to deceive you, we only mean to open the conversation for discussion in order to conceive the best course of action. The three of us will fair better together than apart." Hizashi explained. Toshiyuki was still tense, and the two before him had seen it as clear as day. However at this point he could see no other path but to ask directly, the Hokage had said the floor was open for discussion.

"I do not wish to sound ungrateful for this opportunity, but I must ask. Why do you wish to raise us up?" it was a simple question, and both Hiashi and Hizashi knew they must answer it carefully, to make their intentions clear.

"Though Minato is an exceptional member of your clan it is well known that many of the other members are of above average intelligence and are adept at the use and application of jutsu." Hizashi said.

"The whole of Konoha only stands to benefit from your clans influence and greater involvement in the wider issues pressing the village" Hiashi quickly explained.

"As well our clans share many opinions on how to shape our village for the future. On issues we may not agree your points are reasonably argued, your stances balance out the other clans and members of the War council" Hizashi finished. Toshiyuki relaxed slightly, their points made sense. They considered the Namikaze clan altogether strong and they would be an ally in times where influence was necessary. Not only that but this would give the relatively new Namikaze clan the chance to push their own agenda, with perhaps an unspoken agreement of cooperation?

The decision had clear benefit for the Hyuuga, however Toshiyuki saw it would be equally so for his clan. Though their motives seemed less altruistic he took comfort in knowing at least a part of their true purpose. He suspected there may be more to this than they were telling him, however this was a rare opportunity. If he was being honest it was an easy decision. As they had stated, on most issues their views were aligned. It was a win win situation.

"I see, please forgive my ungrateful behavior" he said as he stood and held a bow.

"It is understandable to be cautious however we hope in the future you will be more trusting of us. Please sit so we may discuss our plans." Hizashi said

"Through my brother's influence we believe we can attain the Third's recommendation, however Minato will still have to prove himself." Hiashi began explaining his and his brothers concerns. "I believe there are several ways we can secure this. The most obvious route would be by distinguishing himself through his military exploits. The down side is this will take quite some time."

"Perhaps I could take him on as the next head of our house hold? With him as the next leader we can show our clans potential and give him more presence. However this will be a very slight boost, how else may we help the clan's reputation?" neither Hiashi nor Hizashi seemed to have an answer readily available, or at least not one they were ready to give out. "You mentioned military exploits but expressed concern at the length of time it would take for them to be recognized, is there no way around this?"The Hyuuga twins both thought for a moment before Hiashi spoke.

"I suppose if he were to lead a successful campaign to push the borders of our nation and take back some of the coast it may serve as a strong sign that your clan was a formidable military power."

"This would be a monumental task however with the political climate how it is one mistake, any clear sign of weakness and the wolves would be at our door" Hizashi remarked. "He would have to have a nearly perfect operational record."

"It seems difficult but I am confident he could meet this challenge." Toshiyuki spoke with pride of the genius of his clan. "And he would have the support of his clan."

"I believe I have another solution, are you aware of the type of technique he is developing?" Hizashi asked

"I have seen him researching several different things. Sometimes he will work with scrolls and seals, others he is developing his control over his chakra control and manipulation. I believe he has even developed a few unique weapons, however he does have a bit of a flair for eccentricities" Toshiyuki replied

"I have asked some of my Jounin to investigate, and though he is very secretive it seems he is developing a movement technique to rival that of the Uchiha Teleporter. If he can develop and teach this to some of our elite ninja it will be the first step towards his ascension."

"On top of that" Hiashi added, "to show that we support you I will arrange for the betrothal of one of our cousins to him. This will also show a bond between our two clans to the people of Konoha."

"After that it will be easy, he will complete some high profile assignments to show his skills as a ninja, then with the support of the people and the other clans you will officially be raised by the Hokage and the War council. Lastly you will groom him to take control of the clan" Hizashi concluded.

It was a good plan, in fact it was so good that Toshiyuki wasn't even sure what they wanted to discus today. It seemed to him they had this all worked out in advance.

"This seems like a good plan and I can see no reason why you would need my help for any of it."

"It is the one thing most crucial to the plans success that we leave in your hands, Minato himself. We need to be sure he cooperates with this plan, there will be many decisions about his life that will be made for him" Hizashi proclaimed.

"I will discuss things with him today rest assured he will participate"

"We will be counting on you Namikaze-sama, and we look forward to you and your clans new status."

After their meeting concluded Toshiyuki left to the district of town his clan occupied. They were neither rich enough to afford or esteemed enough to be assigned, a district of their own. The land and housing had all been provided by the Hyuuga in the area surrounding their own compound. In the event of an attack on the Village itself the Hyuuga compound would be the most well protected.

Toshiyuki supposed that was another unspoken clause in the agreement, the Namikaze would provide yet another type of defense for their "Parent Clan" It was rumored that the current Hokage did not hold the full support of the War council. In recent years the council had gained more power and influence of it's own. Though in the past the Hokage's word was final, the council now had ways to retaliate. Most of these methods amounted to little more than inconveniences that had a larger affect on the ninja deploying and deployed to the "front line". Things such as delayed movements, a lack of supplies, broken communication chains, and a mysterious loss of funding. These problems were easily remedied and no one had out right disobeyed the head of their nation, but the message was clear. The War council would be given a say in all matter that had a major impact on Konoha.

With the Namikaze backing them and support from the other clans of the village, the council wouldn't dare fight the issues that mattered to their Hokage. The Hyuuga's purpose seemed clear to Toshiyuki when viewed under this lens, and so it was that he wrote a message asking to speak with Minato, after his return from patrol duty.

After an "uneventful" patrol Minato wanted nothing more than to return home and get some sleep. Unfortunately after delivering his report, his Squad Leader had handed him a folded piece of paper addressed to him from the clan's Patriarch, asking to speak with him as soon as possible.

As he made his way across the village he thought about his night. Things had gone smoothly, he met up with and dispelled his clones absorbing their experiences. Nothing unusual had occurred, which was no surprise, nothing exciting ever happened on the days he met Kushina.

He was aware that she was a powerful ninja, and a part of Uzushio's ANBU from the mask she usually wore, not to mention her knack for seals. Although he supposed that was obvious, no one in the 6 nations was as good with seals as the Uzumaki clan. There was also the fact that she was always alone, from the day they had met she had carried out her patrols on her own. As for the cousin she always claimed was nearby, Minato had never seen any signs of anyone else being with her.

He thought not for the first time of Kushina's family, what were they like? The closest he ever got to any of the citizens of Uzushio was when he was fighting them.

But there had to be more to them than that. He imagined Kushina had a mother and father who loved her and worried about her when she was on patrol across the sea in Uzushio's costal territory. Perhaps her father was a battle hardened veteran. They couldn't all be bad. Would they love her child, even if they knew who the father was?

The news was heavy on his mind, and he tried to imagine a scenario in which he and Kushina could be together. He did not wish to leave his family and village, and doubted she would either. Though if it were a question of defecting his would be the only one possible. The Namikaze were a lesser known clan of Konoha. He tried to other scenarios but there were none that did not include leaving one village or the other the other.

It all came down to one thing, he had made a mistake. He loved Kushina but there was no plausible way they could be a family. He wondered briefly if his son would grow up hating him. It's more likely he would just grow up not knowing anything about me, he thought.

Minato arrived at his uncle's home a few minutes later. It was similar in design to the other homes in the unofficial "Namikaze District". The biggest indication that it was his uncles house was the Zen Garden in the front yard. He had seen his uncle outside racking the wave like patterns into the sand on a few occasions. The walkway itself was made of large flat stones, with small gaps between them, leading from the gate to the front door.

"Uncle, it's me I'm coming in" he announced as he entered the home.

"Come in I've been expecting you."

Minato had never actually been inside his uncles house, but it seemed to suit him. Toshiyuki was a man of simple tastes, and it was reflected in the sparse somewhat modern design of his home. The entry way had a single table near the door with a picture of him, his wife and son smiling in front of their house.

Despite the lack of furnishings the warm colors made it feel cozy. Minato's own home was similarly designed but with more pictures hanging from the walls, tables stacked with books and scrolls, and cluttered with furniture .

He walked down the hall to the room his uncle was waiting in and greeted him with a wave "Good morning uncle Toshi."

"Good morning nephew come join me for tea we have a lot to discuss." Toshi said motioning for him to sit at the low table. This room like the rest of the house contained simple decorations but gave a warm comforting feeling.

It helped to relax Minato, he felt like he was here to visit his uncle instead of reporting to the clan's leader. Though he himself had never come to his uncles house. After his mother had died during a skirmish with Iwa his uncle had made it a point to come check in on him. His father had died when he was young however his mother never told him how, and he never bothered to ask anyone else how. He supposed by the time he came to understand that his father was dead he had already accepted it as a fact of life.

"I spoke with the Hyuuga head and the Hokage today. They were very impressed with you." Toshi began.

"That is great uncle Toshi, I'm happy to receive their praise."

"There was however a bit more to the meeting. They informed me of their desire to raise the status of our clan and their desire for you to be involved with it." Toshiyuki was smiling as he informed his nephew.

"That's amazing news uncle but why do they want me to be part of it?"

Toshiyuki was a relatively straight forward man especially when it came to his clan members. So he wasted no words informing Minato of the major points of his role in the plan.

"Minato the rise of the clan will rely on the public's perception of you. Your reputation is growing and you are getting noticed by important people. Tomorrow I will announce you as my successor and start your training to take over the clan. I'm aware that you have been working on developing a jutsu, the plan would involve you sharing that jutsu with the rest of the ninja in the village. There is also the matter of your betrothal. A Hyuuga will be promised to you and you to her, to strengthen the bond between our two clan. You must always remember the kindness the Hyuuga have shown us. They will be our allies and we theirs as we move forward from this point." Toshiyuki paused noticing the uncertain expression on Minato's face.

Perhaps he had said too much all at once, though it was not like his nephew to fold under pressure. It was a lot to ask of one man, even one as talented as Minato.

"Of course it goes with out saying you will have the full support of your clan. We too will help you in elevating our status. Together we will rise or fall." Minato was still silent "Do you have anything to say nephew?"

Minato was quiet as he contemplated his next statement. He and Kushina could never publicly be together and an arranged marriage did not necessarily mean that he and his betrothed had to also have a physical relationship. However it would feel like he was betraying her. He could not tell his uncle about her and it may be suspicious to out right say he was in love with someone already.

"Have the details of this plan been announced yet?"

"No the Hokage and Hiashi wanted me to make sure you were prepared for your role first." Toshiyuki found himself framing his speech in an usual fashion and he didn't like it. It felt like he was trying to manipulate Minato and he was sure his nephew had noticed as well. Minato looked as though there were something he wanted to say, so Toshiyuki decided to take a gamble.

"This is certainly an important role and you will have a lot of weight on your shoulders. So please speak your mind your opinion on this matter is as important as anyone's."

It felt like a game of chess to Minato and he was playing against his own secrets. How best to keep them safe and still stay true to his feelings?

"There are a few parts to the plan that I am uncertain of. First of all I do not mind sharing the jutsu that I am developing with the other ninja of the village, however I do not know how long it will take to complete."

"I am sure even the promise of a powerful and useful jutsu will be enough on its own, you will not be held to any sort of schedule." This did not sound like Minato, he had always seemed so certain of himself to Toshiyuki.

"Secondly I greatly appreciate the confidence you have in me to offer me the position of being your successor but would it not be better for your son to take that position, and then for him to wed a Hyuuga? If we are going to rise as a clan it would make more sense to spread the renown among multiple members of our clan."

"You bring up a fair point, but the point of having you as the next head of the clan is to gain the support of the general populace. Announcing a well known individual will get more attention focused on our clan." Toshiyuki reasoned.

"Is there no other way to gain reputation uncle? Isn't there a way we could get more of the clan noticed, I don't wish to seem ungrateful to the Hyuuga, however this feels a bit like we are being forcibly tied into their clan." Minato felt he may have pushed to far and tipped his hands.

Which in fact he had, Toshiyuki was no fool. He was also a ninja of this great nation and had trained to see the hidden truth since before Minato was born. He saw clearly that it was the marriage that Minato had the most trouble accepting, and there was only one reason he could see for it. Minato had fallen in love. With his last statement he had drawn attention where he had avoided it previously.

Toshiyuki kept his emotions hidden, so that Minato would not see he had discovered the truth. He would respect his nephews feelings if he could, what ever reason he had for not telling him where his own. He reminisced fondly of the days when he and his wife had first met. The excitement of young love in a world full of danger. How could he deny his own blood that same wonderful experience? An arranged marriage could be a dispassionate one after all.

"There was some discussion about reputation through military merit, but it was decided that it would either backfire or take far to long to make a difference."

"That would be perfect uncle Toshi! I, along with a team of my clansmen could make a name for ourselves."

"I would have to discuss this with the Hokage and the Hyuuga head, but if you are this adamant about it I will do what I can. I will need more from you however if this is to succeed. I will need a plan from you, I know your master has been teaching you about the political climate and the state of the other five nations. You will propose a military campaign and put together a team to carry it out. List all the resources you will need and explain how it will strengthen the Leaf. This will be a demanding task, if you are aware of our enemies at all you know failure is something you cannot afford. Every sign of weakness is a chance for our enemies to strike." Toshiyuki shook his head. Perhaps he was giving his nephew too much leeway.

"Understood Uncle I will deliver my plan as soon as possible"

"Good you may leave to start now" Toshiyuki Dismissed him.

After Minato left Toshiyuki grabbed a scroll and wrote a note to Hiashi Hyuuga requesting to meet and discuss what had just happened. He was going to have a hard time explaining this but he would find a way to make it work.

As soon as Minato reached his home he immediately began to form a plan. He would need to form a team first from his family members, and train them to be able to use his new jutsu. He had not lied when he expressed concerns about being able to finish his new jutsu in a reasonable amount of time. However it was not the jutsu they all thought it was.

He had been aware that the Hokage as well as a few others had been spying on him, and he used that to his advantage. He intentionally mislead them. In reality the jutsu they saw him working on had been finished for months. Though he couldn't truly say he "invented" the technique. It was more along the lines of adapting it.

In order for his plan to work he would need a little help. So he summoned a messenger toad.

One week later

Hizashi and his brother had met again with Toshiyuki. He informed them that his nephew Minato had requested certain changes to the plan. Hiashi had voiced his skepticism stating that their previous plan was more than adequate. "What could he possibly be opposed to?"

Toshiyuki still wishing to keep his nephews young romance a secret, from a duo who may not see the value in it, spoke of Minato's unwillingness to take the place as the future head of the Namikaze clan. He then proceeded to brief the Hyuuga twins on the plan devised by Minato. The plan was brazen but if pulled off successfully would achieve the desired effect.

If the Hyuuga agreed to the changes, the Hokage would present the plan to the war council the following day. Minato they were assured had already started training the team that would help him carry out the campaign.

The plan was simple, and pushed their border to the north and south. In the north they would push up to the border of Kumo's frost village. This would be the initial push to remove both Kumo and Uzushio from these contested lands and would play a part in later campaigns. Next the occupying forces to the west would start to put pressure on the border which would hopefully prompt Iwa to move there forces to engage. Once this happened they would take the waterfall village.

After that the occupying forces would withdraw and reorganize. Taking the last pieces of territory that sat between Kumo and Iwa would be easy.

The second half of the campaign would be the most difficult and dangerous. Uzushio had taken their nations peninsula along the south coast. It was now commonly referred to as the coastal territory. It would require speed and a tight hold on intelligence. Konoha would begin garrisoning ninja in a small island territory to the west of the peninsula, setting up a transportation route to the mainland. At the same time an assault would begin on the border of the Coastal Territory. The objective was to progress to the edge of the peninsula and then have the Island force attack from the rear. Essentially flanking their enemy.

The benefits to this plan where clear, cut the land border between Kumo and Iwa, give a foot hold for later campaigns into Uzushio and Kiri territory, and finally to push their rivals off the mainland.

Of course the Hokage had concerns, however most of those were also addressed in Minato's plan. He understood that no plan was perfect and contingencies had been included in the event that the plan failed at different points in the operation. It seems he had also considered the fate of his clan in the event that the second phase fell through. It seems he would be training his cousin to take command of capturing the Iwa territory at the waterfall village while he led the decoy operation in the west.

It seemed strange to Hiashi that Minato could be so sure of himself in this military operation yet not have enough confidence to take up Toshiyuki's position in the clan.

"He can be quite peculiar sometimes, and doesn't seem to appreciate politics and tact." Toshiyuki assured them. "He is like many military geniuses in this day, more comfortable on the battlefield than in a meeting or at a ceremony."

The Hyuuga twins could empathize with this sentiment. They themselves had been hailed as geniuses on the battlefield. They had both set that aside to lead, in their respective ways, Konoha's future ninja.

The plan was well thought out, and with a silent confirmation between brothers the proposal was accepted. The Hokage made plans to meet with the War council the following day to announce the plan. Hiashi and Toshiyuki left to there daily obligations to their respective clans.

The following day Hizashi met with the War council. During the Third Hokage's time the council seats had been filled by ninja. However when Hizashi had taken up his position he introduced some of the general populace to the mix. The trade off was a pool of greater diversity and intellect, at the cost of the absolute obedience of a warrior to his military commander.

Hizashi felt the benefit was worth the cost but, some of the remaining ninja did not appreciate this change. The popular opinion was that the current Hokage's desire was to cater to the general population. To those ninja these positions were an honor reserved for those who had shed blood for this Nation, and proven themselves loyal enough to be trusted with greater responsibility.

The current members sat around the table before the meeting, awaiting the Hokage's arrival. There were seven seats on the council.

The intelligence gathering and analysis Director was a civilian man named Shin Yama, a very talented man with a gift for analysis and prediction based on the intelligence gathered on enemy patterns and past tactics. His skill was widely acknowledged even by some of the more stubborn ninja of the village.

One of those who acknowledged his talent was the man in charge of Special Operations, Danzo Shimura. His dedication to the village coupled with his willingness to take any course of action necessary to protect the Nation made him perfect for this position. He was also backed by an exemplary record as a ninja of Konoha.

In charge of the Strategic planning and Operations was another ninja, a relatively young man compared to his counterparts on the council, Shikaku Nara. The man's genius was undeniable but his bias for inaction when faced with low strategic gain made him unpopular among the more aggressive tacticians.

Next was the head of Logistics, who handled the distribution of supplies, coordinate the building of infrastructure, and the organization of ninja training both locally and through out the territories held by the nation. A civilian who was routinely blamed and ultimately under appreciated in his position, Takeshi Aono. He worked closely with the Hiroshi Watanabe, a wealthy and successful business man originally from one of the nations smaller villages.

Hiroshi was in charge of managing Konoha's treasury, a position Hizashi took great care in selecting. He had conducted a very thorough investigation into all his dealings and previous business partners. Hizashi had even conducted the interview himself and found him to simply be a very talented man with a bit of a lucky streak to boot.

The Nations defensive department was also lead by a civilian much to the chagrin of many veteran ninja. "What could a civilian know about war and the defense of territories and outposts?" they had asked. It was true he had no experience in war and had it not been for his nature he would have never been successful in his position. Hideo Ishida was willing to do what most wouldn't to get his job done, he talked to the ninja who were in direct need of his department. From the newest genin to Jounin in command positions. It was not uncommon to see him or one of his agents out in the field surveying or re-evaluating defensive positions. He was well known though not universal liked among the ninja ranks. Some argued that he should create more defensive structures between the borders and the interior of the country. This criticism was routinely dismissed with his signature catch phrase "mmmm, perhaps."

Finally rounding out the group was the final member, a ninja of the Yamanaka clan, Ryoka Yamanaka. Her talent for reading people and being able to influence their opinions combined with her love for psychology made her the perfect person to run Psychological Operations.

Some of the councilmen talked to each other discussing business or challenges they were facing, others going over reports in their respective departments, until the Hokage entered the conference room.

Hizashi found it was better to get straight to the point as he began to address the people present.

"As I informed you in my letter we are here to discuss a campaign proposed by a talented young ninja within our ranks." The Hokage then began his brief of the strategy laid out by Minato before opening the floor for comments.

"There are some concerns I have with this plan, who came up with it?" Shikaku began. "If possible I would like to discuss it with him personally."

"What is to stop Kumo and Iwa from uniting to push us out at the onset?" asked Hideo.

"In answer to both of your questions, Minato Namikaze has developed this plan. He has addressed the concern of an alliance with information gathered by an outside source. Iwa and Kumo are currently in conflict over the territory between their two countries. The fighting is taking place near the Mountain's graveyard. The timing of the consecutive operations will need to be precise to take advantage of their divided attention." Hizashi answered.

"This second phase seems almost too risky. If even a hint of our forces is discovered staging for an attack we could very easily be caught unprepared." Shin said.

"There is no reward without risk, Shin." Danzo spoke. "I for one am in support of this plan. I will lend you the aid of my resources to help control the flow of information"

The room at large was surprised by Danzo's support. It was well known to the rest of the council that he viewed the current Hokage as weak, and therefore unfit for the position.

"I do have some questions of my own however, what will be done when the new territories are taken? How long till we begin the next campaign, and who will lead it?" He asked the Hokage.

"That remains to be seen, for now the plan is to secure the new land and then evaluate the developing climate." The Hokage responded.

"It will be a challenge for sure but I also accept this plan." Shin added

At this point Hideo, Hiroshi, and Takashi began their own conversation discussing the cost of building and supplying new outposts as well as the time it would take to complete.

"Excuse me gentlemen but if you wouldn't mind, will you support my proposal?" Hizashi asked.

"My apologies," Hiroshi spoke for the three "we will support the plan." with that the three continued their discussion.

"I suppose you will need my unit to prepare the population in the Land of Waves for the incoming ninja?" Ryoka asked.

"Yes, does this mean you also support the proposal?"

"You have my support Hokage" Ryoka answered

Shikaku sighed "well there is no use fighting it, but I will need to speak to Minato to straighten out a few details as soon as possible."

"Then it is settled, the proposal has been passed. The operation will proceed in a month's time." Hizashi announced "I expect progress reports from each of you at regular intervals. The meeting is adjourned."

The council members rose and left individually with the exception of the trio immersed in conversation. Danzo loitered till all the others had made their way out. Striking up one last conversation with Hizashi.

"This is a bold move for you Lord Hokage, may I ask what prompted this sudden change in behavior?"

"There is no change, despite your personal opinion. I was simply presented with a worth while plan." Hizashi stated calmly. Danzo did not speak carelessly, a fact of which Hizashi was all to aware.

"I only hope your passivity will not hinder this promising endeavor. You haven't exactly been active in your time as Hokage."

"Do not take my concern for the lives of our people as a sign of weakness. If it is for the good of the nation I will do what is necessary. You are still one of Konoha's ninja and as such I expect you to comply with the orders you are given."

"I will do what is necessary to preserve this nation." Danzo stated

"Do not make me your enemy Danzo Shimura. Your connection to the Sarutobi clan will not protect you should you needlessly throw away the lives of my people." Hizashi was not prone to violence, but even the hint of a challenge from the man standing before him must be immediately extinguished.

"So you do have fangs after all, I am simply expressing concern for this nation in my own way Lord Hokage" Danzo replied with a small bow. "Excuse me I must begin preparation for the upcoming operations."

With that Danzo left the conference room. Hizashi did not trust him and dealing with him left him feeling mentally drained. He decided to take the rest of the day off he had not spent much time with his family and his son deserved his attention. Perhaps he would go see his brother as well.

-Authors Notes-

My first Authors notes for this story. First of all I would like to thank you for taking time to read my stories then I will discuss the upcoming chapters as well as some concerns and questions.

That being said thank you again for reading and reviewing. I had a lot of trouble uploading this chapter for some reason.

Originally the third chapter was supposed to be the start of the young Naruto Hinata "arc". However once I started writing I couldn't stop myself from expanding on the situations at hand. Also this chapter was very hard for me to create. I just didn't feel like I was writing the characters naturally. Some of the situations felt forced and some of their actions and reactions unnatural. But this will do, I would love some critique either through review of PM.

If you were looking for action stick around the upcoming chapter or two will be dealing with a first hand look at Minato's plan. It should be good. I also Hope I didn't confuse too many people with my description of territories and locations.

It was expressed to me that there are some errors that need cleaning up, and some confusing bits strewn into the previous chapters. I will fix these eventually, until then I apologize for the rough writing.

Just to give you a bit of a warning there are a few things I am going to be doing in this story. First of all, not every technique will have its name shouted out or announced in any way. This in part is a facet of my view on the jutsu used, and the way of the world I have created. I don't think it is a requirement for every ninja to shout out the title of their moves as they perform them. Also when jutsu are named I am planing to have the element be in japanese and the name of the jutsu be in english Doton, Katon, Suiton ect. Followed by Grand fireball, Dragon Missile, Great wall etc. I hope this doesn't bother to many people.

A concern of mine that I wanted to ask you readers about is if I need to describe the way my Original characters look. I plan to do this for major changes to established characters, whether that be to their appearance or wardrobe. But what do you guys think?

Now for the few questions I was asked and reviews I received. It was asked if the Hyuuga clan is divided in this story, and the answer is no. There is only the Hyuuga clan as a whole. The two lesser houses that serve the Hyuuga serve as their "branch members" though less subjugated. The make up of this world makes dividing a clan the way it was in the original story impractical and the use of the seal is also less practical with the presence of the Uzumaki clan. Since they are experts in seals they would be able to either isolate or circumvent its effects all together. Or at least that is how it is in this story.

I had not planned on doing much with Minato and Kushina, but as the story progresses I feel more of a need to explore their relationship. The reasons of which I will not yet discuss.

One last thing which is a point I never even thought would come up, Hizashi's training. When I originally put this in I had no intention to show what exactly that would entail and at this point I still do not. However that does not mean you will not get to see a fully powered Hokage strutting his stuff. My original intention was just to use it the same way they used Naruto's three year training. It was meant to set things up for a time skip. So sorry if there was anyone looking forward to an immediate return on that.

Look forward to the next chapter, until then take it easy.


	5. Chapter 5

****Chapter 4****

Minato had gathered a group of friends, family, and acquaintances he had met on missions, in the clearing of one of Konoha's training grounds. He had extended an invitation to the Hyuuga clan however they had declined. The original plan had been to use only Namikaze to fill up his squad, but he soon realized that in order for his team to succeed he would need more help. Starting with the five Namikaze of the group, there was Toshiyuki's son Toshimitsu. Minato and Toshimitsu were closer to each other than they were with the rest of their cousins. Like most Namikaze he was blonde but kept his hair short, and had his mother's brown eyes. Their youngest uncle had three children, twin girls and a young boy all with the signature blonde hair and blue eyes. Minato had requested the twins, Ayame and Yuri, be a part of his team. Next was Jin, Minato's second eldest uncle's only child. His eyes were green even though both of his parents had blue eyes. He was taller and slightly more muscular than the others. And finally there was Minato the commander of their newly formed team.

The new additions to their group were just arriving, for the morning training meeting. One was a close friend of Minato's named Roshi. An orphan of the previous war who came from one of the villages on the edge of the border between Iwa and Konoha. He was a prodigy at taijutsu and even possessed talent in the drunken fist. It was rumored that in order to become proficient in the drunken fist you required a certain lineage.

The second new addition was somewhat of a celebrity much more so than Minato. Nawaki Senju was considered a genius and at the age of 15 had been promoted to jounin. He was now 19, two years older than Minato. He also possessed the mokuton kekki genkai, and had trained with both Hiruzen and his sister Tsunade to control it. He held great potential and the hope of his clan. Though they were still one of the great clans, few in the village had forgotten the rumors surrounding his father's maternal heritage.

Next was Kinoe a young man he had worked with once before. He was talented but hadn't originally been considered for the team until he was suggested to Minato by an ANBU acquaintance. The young dark haired boy was stoic and completely focused on achieving mission objectives.

Last was another young ninja, named Gekko Hayate. Even at his young age he is considered a weapons expert and excels at stealth missions. He and Kinoe were the youngest members of Minato's team, at 15.

Though his cousins were very talented when it came to jutsu and their chakra control was better than your average shinobi, when it came to other area of their ninja art they were painfully under developed. Having experts in both taijutsu and kenjutsu would help close those gaps. There was also the question of genjutsu, however Minato had decided that it was less of a priority. Though useful, the first phase of this operation would not require it, and if they were caught in one, his team was already familiar with the genjutsu kai. In the second phase against the Uchiha, genjutsu was largely useless.

With the acceptance of this operation Minato had been promoted to Jounin and been granted a team of chunin. He had requested Nawaki not only for his talent but also to have a second Jounin who could take command if anything were to happened. Commonly your rank was not a sign of a ninja's level of skill or strength. It was more of a sign of position. Though generally genin were weaker and used mostly for low level tasks such as construction, domestic work, and delivery missions. Chunin were used in combat and were deployed to outposts to take up guard positions. Jounin were the leaders who had proven themselves competent and able to lead.

The only true sign that a ninja was a cut above the rest was their inclusion in special units such as ANBU or Root.

Minato had been scouted by ANBU and had recently been offered a position in their unit. He declined hoping to become a Jounin and eventually gain a position training and influencing young hopeful ninja. His ultimate goal being to influence the future generation to seek peace. His dreams would have to be put on hold for the time being. As for the present it was time to let everyone know the purpose behind forming this team.

He called everyone to gather closer so he could begin his briefing, and signaled for Nawaki to stand next to him. As the second in command it was important for him to be associated with Minato as a leader and be given authority from the start. He was glad to see everyone had shown up in their uniforms as he instructed it would give them a sense of unity. And if he was being honest, the blue pants and jacket and green vest made them look like a real team of Konoha.

"Hello everyone I believe you all know me," Minato began "you may also be familiar with Nawaki Senju. We will be the Jounin in charge of this team." At this point he looked to Nawaki to step forward and introduce himself.

Nawaki picking up his cue began to introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you all I look forward to working with you on this assignment" He had been given a short brief on the operation but was still unaware of the details so he kept his introduction short. However he was a little embarrassed when he noticed some giggling from the twins, one of whom winked at him when she caught his eye.

"That's enough Ayame, Yuri. Please behave" Minato asked.

"Oh, come on cuz let us have a little fun." Ayame pouted

"Yeah, we'll be nice we promise" Yuri said eyeing Nawaki. Nawaki was turning red under her gaze but kept his expression neutral. He couldn't let himself be shaken by the men and women he would have to lead.

"Please refrain from further comment, the commander is still briefing our assignment." Nawaki commanded. More giggling from the twins. It was hard for them to take Nawaki seriously when he was blushing so furiously.

Everyone assembled settled down and listened attentively to Minato as he began his speech.

"Thank you Nawaki-San, I have just been informed that we are approved to carry out an important operation. This operation will expand our territory and give the nation a greater strategic advantage in future conflicts" Minato then proceeded to give them the details of the plan. Kinoe, and Hayate where the least affected by the scope of the operation. "I have handpicked each of you to be a part of this team based on your individual abilities. All of you are skilled enough to contribute to the success of this mission and just to ensure that each of you has the tools necessary we will spend the next month training. We will be working on new techniques, team work, endurance, and tactics. Both Nawaki and I are in charge and when neither of us is around you will take your orders from Toshimitsu. During the invasion of Waterfalls" Minato nodded to his cousin.

"Nice to meet you all I am Toshimitsu Namikaze" He introduced himself somewhat stiffly. He was nervous, Minato had failed to mention that he would be in charge of the team that would invade the Village of the Waterfalls.

After this Minato had each member of their group stand and introduce themselves by name. Minato was glad that the moment passed uneventfully

"Well I think that will do for the introductions for now, let's start with some team building exercises today. We will split into two teams. I will be in charge of one team and Nawaki will be in charge of the other. While you warm up Nawaki-san and I will discuss the training schedule for the day"

The group began their warm ups as the two leaders discussed the training to take place out of earshot of the others.

"I want you to take them through team movements, chakra control, and some strength training exercises without the use of chakra. Get them good and tired Nawaki, then we will begin the real team building training."

"What kind of training do you have planned?"

Minato reached into his tool pouch and pulled something out. Nawaki held out his hand and received two brass bells with red strings attached.

"Make sure to stand back and direct them through the they are tired tell them there is one last exercise. Only the ones who can get a bell from you will be aloud to rest and eat."

"So one of them will be left out. This doesn't seem like a good way to bring a team together sir."

"The true objective is for them to work together selflessly in order to retrieve the bells. If you have properly worn them out they will not be able to fight you alone."

"I see, who will be on each team? Ayame and Yuri should probably be together to help make the training smooth." Nawaki stated, but Minato quickly cut him off.

"This is also an exercise in their ability to detect the truth, and they will not always have the luxury of being on the team they want."

"What if they are unable to figure it out?"

Minato thought for a moment before answering "Well I guess they will just have to try again until they do. We have about a month for them to do it, that aught to be enough time. The teams will be Yuri, Kinoe, Hayate and Jin on my team. Ayame, Roshi, and Toshimitsu on your team Nawaki-San. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes sir"

With the instructions clear, Nawaki and Minato set off to train their teams. Nawaki took his team through movement drills in the woods taking advantage of the terrain to vary the formation's maneuvers. They ran on the ground, through the trees, over water and up cliffs. After an hour of drills, they moved onto chakra control.

Nawaki first had them demonstrate their mastery over the basics then proceeded to direct them through performing under various conditions, such as molding chakra while standing on the underside of a branch, walking and running across choppy water while preforming simple jutsu and eventually light sparing. They moved on to the final phase of training before the bell test.

First they performed some simple strength building exercises without the aid of chakra, although after the last few hours of non-stop drills their reserves were starting to get low. Ayame and Toshimitsu were looking fatigued, while Roshi was showing no sign of physical exhaustion. Nawaki felt it made sense that one of Konoha's taijutsu experts would have exceptional stamina, he would just have to work Roshi harder.

"Alright one more set of movement drills. You will simulate a roving patrol circling 20 meters from this spot, taking all orders from me. Keep your formation tight and respond quickly to the scenarios given" Nawaki Instructed.

His team began to circle his position 20 meters out as he watched and shouted instructions.

As he watched them he would occasionally shout things like "confirmed enemy, west", "formation of unidentified ninja, observe till you can positively identify them", or "Ambush! You have been flanked to the North and South"

Finally after several scenario he called out his final one.

"Ayame you have triggered a trap and been injured you are unconscious, Toshimitsu, Roshi you are short on Chakra and must proceed on foot. Secure the area asses the casualty, and evacuate the forest."

The team landed on the forest floor and quickly surveyed the area for signs of enemy presence, before Toshimitsu began checking his team mate for "injuries".

"Good work, there is no sign of an enemy force near by. Ayame is hemorrhaging from a wound on her leg and is not responsive. She must be evacuated immediately." Nawaki had learned a few things about first aid from his sister. She insisted every team should have a medic ninja and though he could see the use in it he wasn't sure it was all that necessary. As long as the members of a team were trained in first aid he was sure that any casualty they had could be stabilized till they were evacuated to a proper facility.

It seemed that he would have to teach them about first aid before they ran their first team mission. Toshimitsu looked confused at Roshi, who looked just as confused. Finally Toshimitsu picked up Ayame who looked as though she was about to say something.

"You are unconscious Ayame and therefore can not speak." Nawaki reminded her.

Toshimitsu and Ayame exchanged a glance before the team headed towards the edge of the forest. Toshimitsu carried his team mate bridal style and when they reached their destination he was sweating heavily and his breathing was ragged.

They all stood with their attention turned to Nawaki as he approached.

"You have all failed, and since Toshimitsu looks as though he is at death's door Roshi will be the one attending the casualty this time return to your previous position and do not let me beat you there, and no talking on the way" Two of the three looked worried, Roshi looked determined.

Nawaki did not like acting this way but he had a job to do and would make sure it was done properly. He also could not make it easy by letting Ayame give away the answer, he was certain she knew what he wanted out of them.

Nawaki did not run full speed but he kept a high enough pace to keep them on their toes. Once they had reached their destination he watched again as they acted out the scenario. To his credit Roshi pulled out a bandage and applied it to his team mates leg before lifting her. One look at Ayame and Nawaki could tell she knew what he was expecting from her team mates. Perhaps she had potential as a medic nin.

Instead carrying her bridal Roshi carefully lifted her to settle across his shoulders, grabbing the sleeve of her jacket and the back of her leg. She looked like a human shawl. This was however a much more effective way to carry her. It was the same way the ninja carried victims out of a burning building.

Once again they set off for the edge of the forest at an even pace, however Nawaki had one last curve ball

"The enemy is in pursuit and you are still low on chakra Toshimitsu provide cover, Roshi pick up the pace." Nawaki made a mental apology for working them so hard.

Toshimitsu turned drawing a kunai, ready to intercept the imaginary enemy, as Roshi speed up. After a minute Nawaki gave Toshimitsu directions.

"Good job you held off the enemy, now keep up with me to the rendezvous point."

When they had all finally gathered, Nawaki gave his assessment. The whole group looked thoroughly worn out with Ayame looking the freshest. Making her the casualty the whole time was risky but he didn't want to just give them the answer right away and he was more concerned with whittling down Roshi's stamina. Even low on chakra a taijutsu expert was formidable.

"You have failed this exercise, do you know why Ayame?"

"The casualty was not properly cared for Captain"

"Correct, what should have been done?"

"A tourniquet should have been used to stop the bleeding."

Nawaki smiled after which his team visibly relaxed.

"Very good Ayame I am glad to see you know some first aid" Ayame blushed a little at the praise. Nawaki made a mental note to bring this up with Minato to add to their training regiment this month.

"Also Roshi that carry you performed was well executed, and Toshimitsu I appreciate your initiative and selflessness in carrying the casualty. However you all still failed this part of the exercise so as a penalty you have one final task."

Nawaki pulled out the two bells and tied them to one of the clasps of a pouch on the front of his vest.

"If you wish to rest before the rest of our training today you must obtain a bell for yourself. You will have an hour to achieve this, and those who do not will have extra training with me."

"But there are only two bells." Ayame pointed out.

"You are correct, achieve the objective of this exercise and earn your rest." It was as much of a clue as he could give them.

"So one way or another one of us will have to participate in your training." Toshimitsu stated looking at his two team mates. He seemed uneasy about this, as though competing against team mates was distasteful. He was glad to see that and hoped they would understand the purpose behind this training.

"You will have one hour to complete this exercise" Nawaki was mentally preparing himself, he could not afford to underestimate his opponents despite their weakened condition.

"Now begin!"

To his surprise they did not immediately launch into an attack or separate from each other. Instead they all looked at each other. Each member of this small team was wondering the same thing. Why would he have them all go through so many team related tactics and exercises only to pit them against each other? It seemed like a thinly veiled ruse, but then how serious was the threat to put them through extra training?

"We can decide who gets the bells later." Roshi concluded. With that he turned to Nawaki and began his assault.

This was going quicker than Nawaki had expected, making him simultaneously pleased and tense. At first he expected the team to have to work out the true objective once they discovered that they would not succeed individually. This was going to be difficult.

Roshi rushed in and opened with very straight forward and simple attacks throwing a combination of jabs and kicks at their assigned Jounin. The assault was far too simple for such a renowned taijutsu prodigy, Nawaki thought.

Nawaki decided to play this defensively as he blocked and dodged Roshi's strikes. From the corner of his eye he could see Toshi and Ayame moving around to his flank. Roshi picked up the intensity of his attacks. At the same time the two blonds launched a volley of kunai at Nawaki.

Their mistake was that they were not taking it seriously enough. The kunai were not thrown with any conviction, they were instead an obvious distraction as the two ran in after them. Nawaki hardly had to move to avoiding them. Roshi jumped forward in a kick, hoping to catch Nawaki off guard as he "dodged" the kunai thrown by his team mates, but the tables were quickly turned. Nawaki grabbed his leg and, enhancing his body with chakra spinning him in a wide arc. The first revolution barely missing Toshi and Ayame and on the second he released Roshi, flinging him towards his team mates.

Roshi was safely caught by the pair of intended targets but by that time their captain had retreated into the forest.

"Since you don't want to take this seriously, I will have to make it serious for you. If all three of you continue to fail this exercise you will be cut from this team. Konoha needs strong warriors, now come show me your strength!" He shouted from the trees. It was a bluff of sorts but he needed them to fight like he was an enemy.

The trio had already lost sight of their captain and fell into a patrol formation with Roshi in the front and Toshi and Ayame back and to either side. They entered the forest on the ground scanning around looking for any sign of movement. Ayame was the first to notice a shadow growing around Toshi.

"Toshi above!" she shouted.

Toshi dove to the side and the other two separated surrounding Nawaki who landed with a kunai he plunged into the ground beneath him. He then threw a handful towards Roshi and Ayame as he launched himself at Toshi, extracting his kunai ready to strike. He slashed out at Toshi, who dodged and drew his own kunai.

Roshi ran in, as Toshi parried and blocked, executing a leg sweep knocking their opponent over. He then pinned him down and shouted out to Ayame.

"Grab the bells!"

"He doesn't have them." Ayame searched him when with a puff of smoke his skin seemed to turn to wood, and he lay as still as a dummy.

"It's a clone, restrain it and form up!" Toshi instructed.

"You are going to have to try harder than that." Nawaki said from somewhere above them. Suddenly a wooden version to him emerged from the trunk of a tree near Ayame.

"Clone." She announced.

"Find the original" Roshi said as he started making seals. He jumped between the clone and Ayame and exhaled a stream of fire which engulfed it, burning it to ash. But they did not have to look far as Nawaki jumped down from the tree nearest the restrained clone. When he touched it, it changed into a staff. Now armed he faced down his team ready to take them head on.

"We are all going to have to attack him at once if we want to stand a chance." Toshi said.

"Okay, Let's try not to trip over each other then." Ayame said, as her and Roshi rushed in. It was a risky move in Nawaki's opinion. They did not yet possess the synchronization required to work together at such a high tempo. But if they were both going to attack him at once he would need a shorter weapon. So he channeled chakra into his hand and the staff split at the middle creating two shorter, thin clubs.

Roshi switched up his movements using irregular techniques to try and catch his opponent off guard while simultaneously avoiding his weapons. Ayame however was hesitant to get in his was and tried to look for openings in which to strike, putting pressure on their opponent. She hoped this would cause him to get careless so they could either subdue him or grab a bell.

The earlier exercises had taken their toll and Roshi could feel that his movements were sluggish and less fluid than usual. The other two were similarly exhausted and Ayame was having trouble keeping up with her partner, while Toshi prepared a surprise attack.

Ayame moved in throwing a punch at Nawaki only to have him block and redirect it with his clubs, sending her crashing into Roshi. Toshi entered the fray from behind Nawaki with a sweeping kick aimed at his legs and missed as his target jumped over his attacker. Nawaki now engaged Toshi batting away his strikes with his clubs.

"Aargh this isn't working!" Ayame cried in frustration, as she started going through a set of hand seals then slamming both palms on the ground. The earth swelled like a wave towards the two fighters. Forcing them to halt their duel.

Nawaki and Toshi both jumped away to avoid the wave while Toshi's team mates re-engaged their captain. They clumsily danced around each other trying to land a hit while Toshi molded his chakra outside Nawaki's field of vision, waiting for just the right moment. He would only have one chance since this tactic would not work twice, even if he had had the chakra to perform it again.

Nawaki was aware that Toshi was hiding somewhere nearby but was unsure what he was planning. Then it happened, as he once again sent his two attackers crashing into each other. He felt the ground move beneath his feet then he saw Toshi busting from under his feet. Nawaki bent backwards trying to avoid his fist as it rose through the air.

"Roshi, Ayame lets retreat!" Toshi shouted.

That was when Nawaki noticed, one of the bells was missing.

"Congratulations, Toshimitsu it seems you have earned your break, feel free to head back to the clearing until training with Minato-sama. The rest of you have 20 minutes left." Nawaki shouted.

Toshi looked at his team mates both just as exhausted as he was, and he knew he could not leave them.

"I'm not going anywhere, but we need to come up with a plan. Ayame do you have any chakra left?" Toshi knew she was probably the one with the most chakra left.

"Barely, I can maybe perform one more jutsu. Nothing too big though." She responded.

"How about you Roshi?"

"Not enough for anything useful."

"We will see. Can you use Henge?" Toshi asked, Roshi nodded. Toshi then proceeded to divulge his plan.

Meanwhile Nawaki waited, they had 10 minutes left. He had seen Toshi pass by him on his way to the clearing a few minutes ago. He had been surprised thinking for sure he would stay and help. Perhaps he felt that in his current state he would be more of a burden, after all he had seemed pretty ragged after the last jutsu. However this could still all be a part of some plan. He had a few wood clones in the trees around him in case they tried to ambush him. It wasn't a particularly good defense, if he lost focus his clones would become less effective, but it would do for now.

Then he saw them emerge from the trees and start a direct path for him. Roshi and Ayame were running in a straight line towards him. He must stay extra vigilant because if there was ever a time for them to try and ambush him he expected it to be now.

He sent his clowns to intercept them, keeping one in reserve near by, decided to wait out the short amount of time that was left. He was a little disappointed they had almost passed the test, perhaps they would pass next time.

His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone approaching from behind him. He grinned thinking that Toshi had a change of heart an come back to support his team. He was glad but he would not make it easy on him.

He gave one last glance at the slow clumsy movements of both Toshi and Ayame, trying to keep up with his clones. Sudden realization hit him when he saw Toshi fighting alongside Ayame right before he ducked under a leaping kick from Roshi.

"Now!" Roshi yelled to his team mates.

Toshi created some space for Ayame who flew through the hand seals required for one last jutsu. Two more Ayame sprung up from the ground beside her, earth clones. First the small team capitalized on their distracted captain's clones, destroying the two they had encountered. Then rushing to aid there team mate who, despite his best efforts, was doing little besides causing a brief distraction.

Nawaki had regained his composure and called down his last clone, five minutes left. He and his clone made quick work of the weak earth clones, after that the exhausted three man team was nothing to the relatively fresh young Senju.

Time was up, Nawaki jumped to the side of a tree and performed a jutsu that created a bird-cage like prison around each of the three chunin.

"It seems only one of you managed to get a bell, I suppose that means only Toshimitsu gets to skip extra training" Nawaki stated walking up to his cage.

"Captain you are wrong, it was Roshi who took the bell while disguised as me" Toshi responded. After explaining the plan they had decided that the break should go to Roshi. He had spent the most time physically engaging Nawaki during this exercise. He had of course protested stating that he could take it, but the other two had over ridden him.

"So that's how it is then?" Nawaki asked the three.

"Yes Captain" Ayame replied.

"Then there is only one thing left to say" Nawaki said before releasing all three from their cages. "Congratulations, you have all successfully completed the exercise."

"Does this mean this was another team building exercise?" Ayame asked.

"Yes and I am very proud of you all for how you performed. Let's all go back and meet up with the other team."

Nawaki could see that despite their lack of energy they were excited to have done well, but the celebration could come afterword. The four of them returned to the meet up spot where the second half of the new team waited. The other three looked just as tired but slightly worse for wear. They had bruises and the standard chunin vests of both Yuri and Toshimitsu were a dirty brown color, Kinoe's dark shirt and pants were full of rips and tears, and for some reason Hayate's hair was standing on end.

"Sir my team has passed." Nawaki announced.

"Good to hear, it looks like we already have a good team set up, my team also passed. Everyone good job that will be all for the physical training for today, take some time to rest and change and meet back here in 2 hours. You are dismissed." Minato instructed before turning to Nawaki. "Let's go get lunch while you brief me on your team."

"Yes sir, where are we going?"

"Please call me Minato. Do you like ramen?"

Nawaki was surprised, he couldn't say he had ever given the dish much thought. In fact as odd as it sounded he could really only remember ever eating the instant kind that came in a cup. After expressing this tactfully to his new leader, who assured him that it was going to be worth it, he was lead to a ramen stand out in the shopping district of Konoha.

"Here we are, this is my favorite place to go for ramen. Quick let's grab a seat" Minato said. Nawaki did not have a chance to read the sign over the stand. The stand itself was much smaller than he had expected. There were only 4 seats and one person to take their order and prepare the meals.

After ordering they discussed the team.

"How did your team do Nawaki-san?" Minato asked.

"They did better than I expected, and seemed to instinctively want to work together. Even going as far as to try and deceive me to give a team mate, whom they decided on, the chance for a break instead of the one who originally obtained a bell."

Minato smiled, satisfied in the knowledge that the team was coming together so quickly.

"My team had a bit harder time seeing the point of the exercise. JIN and Yuri worked well together however, Kinoe at first did not even try, and Hayate was caught between helping each of his team mates. Eventually they came together and were able to succeed in claiming both bells, but I may have been a little rough with them." Minato laughed nervously.

"So what do you think they should work on?" he finally asked his second in command.

"From what I saw, they will need to work on coordination, I also think it would be wise to train the whole team on first aid." Nawaki wanted to suggest the first aid early on, and had also made plans to suggest that Ayame receive some extra medic training. His sister was always saying that a properly trained medic could save lives. Maybe it would be worth a try.

"I also think it would be worthwhile to send someone to get trained as a medic. I could ask my sister for assistance."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, did you have someone in mind to send?" Minato asked, however Nawaki was interrupted before he could answer by the arrival of their food.

"Thank you for the food." They both chimed before beginning to eat. Nawaki could remember the few times he had eaten ramen before but it had never looked, or smelled this appetizing.

Contained in the simple red and white bowl, filled with the dark broth, sat the ingredients displayed almost artfully on top of the noodles. Slices of mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions, a soft boiled egg cut in half, and two slices of pork were fanned out in a circle. Sticking up along the side where two squares of nori, and the final touch were two star shaped white disks with pink swirls.

"What are these little stars?" he asked Minato

"They are called Naruto, try them they are good."

The experience was surprising to say the least for Nawaki. At first he tried the ingredients on their own taking a bite of each to test the flavor. He discovered the soft boiled eggs were his favorite but that the mushrooms tasted the best with the noodles. Their firm texture and earthy flavor complimenting the slightly soft noodles that had only just started to soak up the savory broth. He soon found himself deeply engrossed in his food, stopping only to heed Minato's suggestion to try mixing the ingredients into the noodles and broth. The mix of flavors and warmth, even in these already warm spring days, were irresistible.

By the time Nawaki had drained the bowl of its contents, he had completely forgotten what they had been discussing. When he noticed Minato looking at him expectantly he was slightly confused.

"That was really good, much better than I expected." Nawaki said.

"I am glad to hear you enjoyed it, but back to our earlier discussion. Who do you have in mind to send for extra medic training?" Minato asked.

"Oh!" Nawaki was red with embarrassment. "I noticed Ayame had prior knowledge of how to properly asses and treat the wounded, I think she would be a good candidate. We may also consider sending one other for training if we have the time or availability."

"That is a good suggestion, if you don't mind talking to Tsunade-sama for us, I would be grateful. I will leave choosing a second medic to you and I will let you know when we have time to send them."

"They could also use a lesson on strategy, their ambushes and attack patterns were too predictable."

"I also felt that way. Thank you for the suggestions." After this they talked about the upcoming training and Minato revealed the new technique he would be teaching them all.

"That sounds like an amazing jutsu but is it really that useful?"

"It will give us an advantage in speed as well as aiding in surprise attacks. I want everyone to be efficient in its use if possible. For now let's get ready to meet back up at the training site."

With that they left to get ready for the afternoon training. They arrived ahead of their chunin and watched them arrive one by one. Roshi arrived alongside Toshimitsu, they were talking as they walked up. Gone were the green vest, and blue pants and shirt. In their place Roshi was dressed in a dark red jacked held closed by a fabric belt knotted in the front, and similarly colored pants. Like most ninja he wore a mesh shirt underneath his top, and his leaf headband across his forehead.

Toshimitsu had changed and now wore a long mesh shirt under a brown short sleeve one, with matching brown pants. He also wore a wide blue belt with the metal plate of his head band attached to it.

Ayame and Yuri arrived together wearing Kimono styled tops that ended mid-thigh showing the legs of the black shorts they wore underneath. Ayame's was purple while Yuri's was white with a pink trim. Both girls wore their hair in buns with two hair sticks holding it in place.

"Hello Minato, Hey Nawaki darling!" Yuri shouted as her and her sister approached. "Do you like our Kanzaki?" she asked pointing to her hair sticks. "It was Ayame's idea she wanted to impress you, She teased.

Ayame waved at Nawaki who in turn was blushing from all the attention he was getting. He did think they looked cute, but he had to remain professional.

"Please stop teasing him you two." Minato chided.

Next to arrive was Hayate, who at first glance looked to have only removed his vest. At a second glance it was noted that he was now wearing shorts and a black jacket instead of the blue. He also carried his sword on his hip now instead of on his back.

Finally Jin followed shortly by Kinoe arrived. Jin it seems had also changed into a more casual outfit. He wore a sleeveless light green shirt tucked into the belt of his fur lined waist cloth, under neath which where a plain pair of dark pants.

The only indication that Kinoe had changed at all was the fact that his simple black pants and shirt were spotless where before they had been ripped and dirty.

Welcome back everyone, for this afternoon I would like to discuss changes and the training schedule that Nawaki-san and I have decided on after discussing your performance today." Minato informed them.

"In addition to the previously mentioned training we will be adding a few things. You will be taking on more team based exercises to increase your coordination. You will also all be learning about first aid." Minato intentionally kept the supplementary Medic Nin training from them till Nawaki could confirm with his sister that it was possible.

"Starting tomorrow we will meet here in the mornings, we will start with some light endurance exercises, then move on to teaching you a new jutsu, followed by team building and skill development."

At this point Hayate spoke up

"What do you mean by skill development?" He asked

"My plan is to raise everyone here's over all ability before we take on our missions. We will not be receiving additional support from the village at the onset of this mission. However if we prove ourselves then we may have enough pull, from our reputation, to request support from the units in the field. "

"What is this new jutsu you will be teaching us?" Toshimitsu asked

"It is a jutsu originally developed by the Second Hokage, but with a little development to make it more versatile. Let me give you a demonstration."

Minato pulled out an oddly shaped three pronged kunai and threw it at a tree behind his captive audience. They all turned to watch as it embedded itself into the tree, but nothing else happened. They turned once more to look at Minato in confusion.

"Look" he said pointing behind them at the tree.

They turned in unison, only to find Minato standing there smiling. Several of the members of the team turned back to Minato's former position, next to Nawaki, expecting to find another copy of him standing there, however there was none.

Nawaki himself was the only one who had seen what had happened. He had heard of this technique from his father before but had never actually seen anyone use it. From what he knew of the technique it's versatility was practically unlimited and took very little chakra to use. What he did not know was why it was practically a lost jutsu. With such a powerful tool under their belt a group of ninja could control the battlefield.

"What's so special about that, isn't that just a body flicker?" Yuri asked

"It is a completely separate technique that uses space time manipulation. It will require intense study and understanding to use and even then some of you may be unable to use it. My hope is that enough of you will be able to use it that by developing our coordination we will not require everyone to be able to." After his explanation he could see that there was still some confusion.

"Well I guess it would be better to show you. Nawaki-san can you come here for a moment?"

"Yes sir" Nawaki walked over and stood next to Minato not sure what was about to happen but not wanting to obstruct his team mates view.

"That's perfect" he said as he dropped his hand on Nawaki's shoulder.

Nawaki's confusion only grew when, within the span of only a second, he felt a pull, then It was almost as if he blinked, the whole world was black for so short of a moment, that had he not been staring intensely at Minato he would not have even realized he hadn't. The group of chunin was suddenly to his left where previously they were on his right.

His sense of balance was slightly askew and he wavered slightly. His stomach had turned slightly, not to the point of nausea but just enough to make him uncomfortable.

"Sorry about that Nawaki-san I should have warned you about what was going to happen" Minato said laughing nervously as he apologized.

"It is ok sir the effect was not severe." Nawaki assured him. Turning back to their team Minato addressed them once more.

"I think that will do for now, meet here tomorrow at dawn and we will begin training. Be sure to get plenty of rest it will be a difficult month. You are all dismissed." At his command the group began to disperse. Ayame and Yuri, as they left asked Nawaki if he was going to buy them dinner. Which he denied stiffly while blushing. Minato assured them they would get a chance to have dinner together in the future and politely asked them to leave. Toshimitsu walked away but stopped just far enough to give the captain and commander of his new team privacy.

"I will talk to my sister tonight and give you her answer in the morning."

"Thank you very much and thank you for the help today, you did very well"

"Thank you sir I look forward to working with you." with that Nawaki bowed and turned to head home, while Minato did the same. As he walked Toshimitsu stepped out to join him on his way home.

"I thought for sure you would teach us that new jutsu you have been trying to hide from everyone." Toshi began.

"I'm afraid it isn't quite complete yet." he said with embarrassed

"That's not what is seems like to me, if the trees at your special training area are any indication." There was not much Minato could keep secret from Toshimitsu, they had grown up together and were closer to being brothers than cousins. So Minato was not surprised to find out that he knew the truth.

"If you know I have been keeping it a secret how do you know you didn't just give that secret away?" Minato asked.

"If anyone had been watching us I would have sensed them. I may not be as good as a Hyuuga, but I am at least good enough to know when I am being watched. Do you think one month is really enough time to get everyone ready?" Toshimitsu, Minato reflected, was a sensory type and was a fairly good one at that.

"they are already capable of surviving, as for if one month is enough time for them to win, it is going to have to be."

"Why is that?"

"Jiraiya has information that if Kiri gets involved before we get fully entrenched in the land of Tea, they could wipe us out and take the territory for themselves." The mood became tense.

"Everyone knows that they are in the middle of an internal struggle, there is no way that they could be effective enough to hold any land that far from their home. They would need the Seven Swordsmen and they have been split just as the rest of their country is." Toshi concluded

"Jiraiya says his contacts have heard rumors of a powerful group trying to use the Civiil war to their advantage. If they succeed they could bring the country back to it's prime."

"But they would have to deal with Hanzo." Toshi argued.

"Hopefully that will buy us time."

The rest of the trip home was made in silence.

Across Konoha, Nawaki had arrived at his sister's house. He knocked on the door and announced himself.

"Sis it's me!" no answer. He decided to let himself in.

"Sis it's your brother, I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Nawaki? " Tsunade came out from her office and greeted him, with a hug.

Tsunade lived alone, and had few visitors. Apart from himself, the old man Haruzen, and her old team mate she had few friends and fewer acquaintances. If Nawaki was being honest he didn't really like that old perverted hermit being around his sister in the first place.

Ever since Dan had died she had been completely obsessed with her proposal to have a medic nin on every ninja team. He only wished she would cheer up, he didn't want to imagine what she would be like if he had ever died. But today he was sure what he had to ask would perk her up.

"What brings you here?" She asked him.

"I have a request for you, it's about my new team."

"If you are here to ask me to join your team, I'm sorry Nawaki but I am very busy and wont be able to join you."

He could not lie, having a member of the legendary Sannin would greatly boost their power and reputation, and perhaps even give them the pull to request more support. However he knew she wouldn't and he didn't want to give his team anymore reason to tease him. His thoughts briefly lingered on Ayame and Yuri, he had to admit they looked cute in their more casual outfits. His cheeks turned red.

"Are you sick?" Tsunade asked. Nawaki could already see the greenish glow surrounding her hand as she prepared to asses his health.

"I'm fine" he said backing away a step. "I wanted to ask you if you had a little time to train one of the members of my team to be a medic."

Tsunade looked at her brother, this was not what she had expected when he said he wanted a favor.

"Tell me about your team." she said as she beckoned him into her kitchen. She pulled out two cups and started to make tea.

Nawaki proceeded to tell her about his day and the three chunin he had worked with. Tsunade's eyes were alight with surprise when he mentioned Ayame's knowledge of first aid, and of the commander of his team acceptance of Nawaki's suggestion. If only those stiff old men could be as enlightened.

She then asked him about the mission he would be taking part in while serving them both tea. Once Nawaki finished explaining she took a moment to consider. The mission sounded risky and having a fully trained medic ninja on their team would be a great advantage. However one month was not enough time to fully train a medic nin, not to mention the possibility of introducing a second student at a later point in the month.

"Nawaki, one month wouldn't be enough time to train one medic let alone taking on another. The second student would have an almost impossible learning curve, I'm not sure this will work."

"Please sis if anyone can do this it's you."

"Who did you have in mind?" she asked some what begrudgingly.

"I think Ayame would make a good candidate and her chakra control seems fairly good. Only her cousin Toshimitsu was close to her level"

"You seem very impressed with this girl, are you sure you aren't confusing admiration for attraction?" she teased. She would feel better if he had a fully trained medic nin on his team but of the few that were available only she was not already deployed. Maybe she should just set her work aside for now. She didn't know what she would do if she ever lost him, she already felt like she had seen too many comrades die. That was even more reason to stay though, she had to get this program approved.

"Ok I will do it, for you. Send her to see me starting tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow?" he stammered "does it have to be so soon? We are just about to start our team training."

"If you want me to do this you will send her to me tomorrow early in the morning. I am already busy, she will have to be taken with me in my daily duties and learn on the go as well as on her own."

"What if I send her in the afternoon? You said you are busy and she would just be in the way. This way, you can get work done in the morning and she can still train with her team." Nawaki was going out on a limb and Tsunade could tell, but she felt that she couldn't deny her brother's request, so she relented.

"Fine, but you are not making things any easier for either me or her. If you are going to send another I suggest you make your decision within the next week." She demanded

"Yes! Thank you sis they wont let you down I promise!"

Tsunade couldn't help but smile at her brother's enthusiastic outburst. This girl had better be able to keep up, her brother's life may someday be in her hands and if she failed she would answer to Tsunade.

"Have you eaten yet? I could make us both dinner."

"Thanks sis!"

One thing was clear it was going to be a long month.

Author's Notes

What did you all think of the fights, and the way I portrayed the jutsu? I wasn't expecting for there to be this many chapters before Naruto's appearance. Nor was I expecting this chapter to be this long

One of the reviewers asked if Konoha and Uzushio were not allies and whether Hashirama had married an Uzumaki. I can not for the life of me right now remember his wife's name. The answer to both is no, but it will be explained more in depth in later chapters.

You may also notice that some characters are closer in age than they were in the original timeline that is done on purpose. My reasoning being two fold. First it is to support the involvement of certain characters at certain points in their lives. The second is that in a world were war happens more frequently, people are flung together more often and passions run high.

Finally a warning. After this chapter when we get more into Minato's team being on the front lines there maybe some descriptions of death and gore, as well as suggestions of sexual violence. I for one cannot write a rape scene, but the occurrence of it shall be suggested. I will repeat this warning at the start of chapters where it is included. If you want it I will find some way to mark it for those that do not wish to read these scenes. Let me know what you all thought in a review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


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